Getty Bradley Beal with Russell Westbrook.
It’s been a season to forget for Russell Westbrook. The nine-time All-Star has been one of the most impactful players in the NBA for over a decade now but he’s crashed to earth with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a questionable fit when the team traded for him and he’s done nothing to prove the naysayers wrong.
What was supposed to be an epic homecoming for the Long Beach, California, native has turned into a nightmare. Westbrook is frequently mocked by fans and opposing players. The 18.2 points a game he’s averaging this season is the lowest scoring average he’s had since his second season in the NBA. While many have decided to pile on Westbrook, there are still those who defend him.
Former Washington Wizards teammate Bradley Beal decided to unleash a fiery rant against Westbrook’s detractors.
“That s*** piss me off. I ain’t gone lie, bro,” Beal said of the recent Westbrook “slander” on The Draymond Green Show. “It really — it really frustrate me, especially being a guy that played with him. The disrespect — that s*** gotta stop, bro. It’s gotta stop because we acting like this man is not a Hall of Famer.”
Beal and Westbrook didn’t have a long or fruitful partnership but there’s clearly a lot of respect there.
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Is Westbrook Criticism Warranted?
Just two seasons ago, the Lakers won a championship. Last season, the team had a 2-1 lead over the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs before Anthony Davis got hurt. This season, Los Angeles hasn’t looked like a great team at any point in the season. Westbrook deserves a large portion of the blame.
It’s not like he was forced to join the team. He wanted to get traded to his hometown team and even met with LeBron James and Davis during the offseason. Everybody knew he wasn’t a great fit with the roster but they did it anyway. Westbrook can’t blame Lakers fans for being frustrated. He hasn’t played well and the team went from championship contenders to possibly missing the playoffs. The easier way to quiet the critics is to play well and Westbrook hasn’t done that yet.
Is Westbrook Entering His Final Games as a Laker?
The Lakers’ season is winding up and they have yet to turn things around. They have fallen to the 10th seed in the Western Conference and are only one game up on the 11 seed San Antion Spurs. Missing the play-in tournament is quite possible for Los Angeles. There are only eight games left for the Lakers to secure the ninth or 10th seed.
Even if they are able to get into the play-in tournament, it’s still going to be tough to get into the actual playoffs. If the Lakers miss the playoffs altogether, this should be Westbrook’s final 10 games with the team. He’s been playing slightly better as of late but is still not making much of a positive impact. The biggest focus of the Lakers’ offseason has to be moving on from Westbrook.
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