Getty Lakers guard Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook and Frank Vogel didn’t have a good relationship. That was clear as day.
However, Vogel wasn’t the only Los Angeles Lakers coach Westbrook had issues with.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Westbrook and Lakers assistant coach David Fizdale got into an animated exchange during an early-season film session.
“Throughout the NBA, teams are also keeping an eye on how the Lakers manage the Westbrook situation. Westbrook has a player option for $47 million this offseason, which he is expected to pick up. Westbrook remained a professional throughout the season, but his partnership with Vogel failed to gain traction as the season went on,” Charania reported.
“In an early-season film session, assistant coach David Fizdale challenged Westbrook on his shot selection, and the two had an animated exchange, sources said. That was one of the instances when Westbrook was challenged by a coach or teammate, and the style the coaching staff envisioned for Westbrook did not match what took place on the court.”
The Lakers fired Vogel on April 12 while players were still conducting their exit interviews with the media. Westbrook wasn’t asked about his relationship with Fizdale, but the one-time MVP did comment on his lack of rapport with Vogel.
Westbrook on Vogel
When reporters asked Westbrook to talk about Vogel, the All-Star guard didn’t hold back.
“I think it’s unfortunate to be honest because I’ve never had an issue with any of my coaches before,” Westbrook said about Vogel. “I’m not sure what his issue was with me or I’m not sure why, but I can’t really give you an answer to why we really never connected. That’s something that he has to answer, but I never, from the get-go, was feeling like (we were on the same page.) I was having to try to prove myself to him and my capabilities and what I’ve been able to do for this game and it’s unfortunate but it’s really not (my fault). It’s kind of out of my hands.”
Vogel benched Westbrook multiple times in the fourth quarter this season. Fizdale, who coached six games when Vogel was away from the team after testing positive for COVID-19, went 1-5, but since he has a relationship with LeBron James dating back to their Miami Heat days, he could be a potential Vogel replacement.
Bleacher Report Names Fizdale Potential Vogel Replacement
Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report believes the Lakers could look at Fizdale this summer as a head coach candidate. If the purple and gold hire the former Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks coach, Westbrook may not be happy.
“Even though Fizdale was Vogel’s assistant this past season, he wouldn’t necessarily coach the same way,” Dakhil wrote. “The Lakers need to look no further than what happened across the hall after the Clippers replaced Rivers with Ty Lue. …Fizdale was a Miami Heat assistant coach during James’ entire tenure there. Having been in battles with LeBron in Miami and having a front-row seat to what went wrong for the Lakers this season gives Fizdale institutional knowledge that few other coaches possess.”
It will be interesting to see if the Lakers bring Westbrook back next season and who they hire as their next coach. Westbrook has a player option worth $47,063,478 for 2022-23, but most experts expect Los Angeles to try to trade the future Hall of Famer this summer.