Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has struggled in his first season back home. The one-time MVP leads the NBA in turnovers and is shooting only 43.2% from the field, 27.7% from beyond the arc and 67.0% from the free-throw line.
Los Angeles will always be a Lakers town since the purple and gold have won 17 championships. However, the Los Angeles Clippers have owned the Lakers over the last five years, winning 17 out of the last 23 games. LAC swept LAL 4-0 this season and Westbrook was trending for the wrong reasons after the last game on March 3 since he tried to trip Clippers guard Reggie Jackson.
Jackson crossed Westbrook over and the latter tried to trip the former after his killer crossover midway through the fourth quarter. Jackson, who used to be teammates with Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder, roared after the play and he explained why during an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“Oh it was good (laughs). I kind of understood the moment once the yell and all that kind of happened (after that play), but it was more so frustration,” Jackson said. “People don’t understand how I felt. … Honestly, people had missed (what happened). I definitely feel like protecting my teammates at all times, and that’s what I’ve tried to do, so what had angered me was that people had missed how when (Clippers forward Marcus Morris’) big shot the game before (in a Clippers win over the Lakers on Dec. 3), (Westbrook) he had tried to trip him, and then Zu (Clippers big man Ivica Zubac) got tripped a play earlier so when I felt like (when he) tried to (trip him) I was pretty upset. That’s always been big brother, (and) letting all the emotion out, being excited.”
Jackson and Westbrook have history with each other. When they were teammates on the Thunder, Jackson once wrote the letters “SPG” on his sneakers — Starting Point Guard — while he was Westbrook’s backup. The Thunder wound up trading Jackson to the Detroit Pistons at the 2015 trade deadline.
When the Pistons defeated the Thunder on March 29, 2016, Jackson skipped and gyrated down the sidelines. The Boston College product and Westbrook aren’t friends on the court, but they surprisingly see each other in the summer.
Jackson Raves About Westbrook
Jackson told Amick that Westbrook was a great teammate on the Thunder and that the two interact in the summer during pick-up games.
“I mean I see him around. We play pick-up and all (during the offseason). There’s no problem (laughs) — at all,” Jackson said. “I always wish him well, always tell him to tell his family what’s up for me. He was definitely — even though we were around the same age — he was definitely my vet, showing me the ropes, taking me around, making me comfortable.
“I think a lot of my aggression and my fire, and the way I play is because we’re all a product of our environment. So I also felt like I was raised under him as well. I’m always appreciative of Russ and thankful for all he’s done for me during my career. He raised me and showed me the ropes, especially preparing me for… what it was going to be like being a starter in the league and taking your lumps, the ups and downs and staying confident in yourself and even keel. I think a lot of that was from watching him and just getting to pick his brain and talk to him. But when we get out there and it’s time to compete, there’s no friends (laughs).”
Jackson and the Clippers are ahead of Westbrook and the Lakers in the Western Conference standings. LAC is 36-36 and in eighth place in the West, while LAL is 29-40 and in ninth place.
The Lakers have been a walking disaster all season despite having Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Meanwhile, the Clippers have exceeded expectations since Kawhi Leonard has been out all year and Paul George has only appeared in 26 games due to an elbow injury.
Jackson on Clippers: ‘I’m Enjoying the Right Now with This Group’
The Clippers have a much better culture than the Lakers. Even though LAC has zero championships in franchise history, they are set up for success, unlike LAL.
“It’s going through the journey with the team through our ups and downs of the season,” Jackson told Amick about the Clippers. “That’s been the gratifying part of seeing our spirits, how we were a little shaky earlier with our belief at times, but through the wins, the losses, you can still feel our spirit. We truly believe that we’re gonna win each and every night that we go out there. And we believe that we’re gonna give our best effort. That’s the standard here with our culture.
“Being in my 11th season and while being in the moment to still be able to take a step back and reflect as we go along the journey (is key). I think that’s been something with the maturation throughout the years. I’m enjoying the right now with this group.”
It will be interesting to see if the Clippers get out of the play-in tournament. If the season ended today, they would face the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Lakers would take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Clippers Star Dishes on Heated Incident with Lakers’ Russell Westbrook