Getty Lakers star Russell Westbrook.
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns did not hold back when asked about Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook. During a Twitch interview with Adin Ross, Towns was asked for his thoughts about Westbrook after the T-Wolves big man remarked that he personally does not care about stats.
“He definitely gets stats,” Towns responded when asked about Westbrook. “He chasin’ stats, but I think he’s a helluva player, though. Man, I don’t care what anyone says. You know how hard it is to get a triple-double? You know hard it is? And he play hella hard. I just think sometimes he plays too quick. He tries to do too much.”
Towns was also complimentary of Westbrook during another portion of the interview. Despite his criticism of Westbrook, Towns emphasized that he believes people do not realize how hard it is to average a triple-double like Westbrook has done.
“He’s a helluva player,” Towns added. “I don’t think people realize, he won the MVP, bro, he was getting like 30, 10 and 10 a night. You know how crazy that is? Even this year, he’s damn near getting a triple-double a night. ….[We’ve] talked about Oscar Robertson for how many decades? This man came in and does it every year, on average.”
Westbrook is averaging 19.6 points, 8.1 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 34 starts this season with the Lakers. Heading into the 2021-22 season, the nine-time All-Star averaged a triple-double in four of the last five years.
Here is a look at Towns’ controversial comments about Westbrook.
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Towns Called out Lakers Fans: ‘Y’all Hate on Him So Much’
Towns’ comments clearly angered some Lakers fans, and the two-time All-Star posted a follow-up video calling out the L.A. faithful. The Minnesota big man believes it is Lakers fans who are not showing Westbrook enough love.
“He’s getting triple-doubles and stuff, right?” Towns noted in the video. “And y’all hate on him so much, and I show him nothin’ but flowers and then Lakers fans wanna come at me and talk about some…But y’all don’t protect him. …You wanna talk all this but you ain’t protecting him on the free. Come on now. Don’t do that.”
Green Called out K.A.T. for His Comments on Westbrook
It was not just Lakers fans that are up in arms about Towns’ comments on Westbrook. Warriors big man Draymond Green called out Towns encouraging the Timberwolves star to, “stop talking to people about the ‘bros’ and yelling this is a ‘brotherhood.'”
“I once watched from the bench due to us beating the Twolves a** and he was in the game down 20 with 2 mins to go,” Green commented on House of Highlights’ Instagram post featuring the video. “Come on man. Stop talking to people about the ‘bros’ and yelling this is a ‘brotherhood’. SMH”
Westbrook: ‘People Are Expecting Me to Have F****** 25, 15 & 15’
The Towns drama coincides with a frustrated Westbrook admitting he is tired of people’s unrealistic expectations. Westbrook noted that the expectation that he should average a triple-double every season is outlandish.
“I’ve been fine, I don’t know what like the conversation’s been heavily on how I’m playing and what I’m doing, but I think people are expecting me to have f****** 25, 15 and 15, which that is not normal,” Westbrook explained during his December 27 press conference. “…Everybody has to understand like that’s not like a normal thing that people do consistently. I know I’ve done it for the past five years or so or whatever that may be, but it’s not like a normal thing.
“So, when people are saying ‘Russ be Russ’ I don’t really think nobody understands what that means. I think people just say it and just be like, ‘let Russ be Russ’ but nobody actually knows what that means but myself. And I’ma lean on that and make sure I do what I’m supposed to do and let everything else outside of the locker room, whatever that may be, take care of itself.”