Getty LeBron James #6 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers react against the Miami Heat during the first half at FTX Arena on January 23, 2022 in Miami, Florida.
February 5 was a great day for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The purple and gold erased a massive deficit against the New York Knicks at home and won their 26th game of the season behind 29 points from LeBron.
The King recorded a triple-double in his first game back from injury. He finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 13-of-24 from the field. Malik Monk poured in 29 points as well, while Anthony Davis finished 28 points and 17 rebounds.
Four players on the Lakers scored in double-figures against the Knicks. However, the highest-paid player didn’t and he also got benched in overtime.
We’re talking about Russell Westbrook, who scored only five points on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor. The one-time MVP was booed in the first half after bricking a bank shot — something he’s done a lot this season — and finished with a plus-minus of -15.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has benched Westbrook twice this season. LeBron, who played a significant role in Los Angeles trading for the triple-double machine in the offseason, spoke to reporters after the Lakers-Knicks game about his point guard’s struggles.
LeBron on Westbrook: ‘I Told Him to Keep Going, to Stop Second-Guessing Himself’
LeBron and Westbrook are not only teammates, but they are also close friends off the court. With that said, it wasn’t surprising to see the former stick up for the latter following the Lakers-Knicks contest.
“I just told him to text me later,” LeBron said of his postgame conversation with Westbrook, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I told him to keep going, to stop second-guessing himself during the game. There were a couple of times where he had good looks, second-guessed himself and a couple times where he had some drives and he had them and second-guessed himself. He’s an instinctive player and he should never, what he’s done in this league, he should never second-guess himself if he’s put the work in — and he’s put the work in. So I just told him to just hit me later.
“And I don’t need to harp on what we need to say to him. I mean, he’s a big-time player. And I have the utmost confidence in his ability, not only for this team but for himself, individually.”
Westbrook is making more money than LeBron and Davis this season. The nine-time All-Star is averaging 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 43.7% from the field, 30.0% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line.
Westbrook leads the NBA in turnovers and has a plus-minus of -107. He has proven to be a poor fit next to LeBron and Davis since he can’t shoot from the outside and is a turnover machine. However, Russ remains confident he, LeBron and Davis will eventually figure out how to play with each other since they have only appeared in 17 games together.
Westbrook on Lakers’ Big Three: ‘It Could Be Good’
The Lakers are 10-7 when LeBron, Westbrook and Davis play. As a result, Westbrook is optimistic the All-Stars will grow together moving forward.
“It could be good,” Westbrook said when asked what could happen if L.A.’s Big Three can keep playing together down the stretch. “Just based on a night-in, night-out basis, establishing rhythm, it could be good. So hopefully we can see what that looks like moving forward.”
The Lakers are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings. LeBron and Davis have been excellent this season, but Westbrook has been inconsistent. For Los Angeles to turn its season around, the UCLA product has to play better on both sides of the court and make better decisions with the ball in his hands.
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Lakers’ LeBron James Sounds off on Russell Westbrook’s Benching