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Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook got brutally disrespected by Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green on March 2 during the Warriors-Los Angeles Clippers game.
Green didn’t guard Westbrook on the perimeter, leaving the one-time MVP wide-open from beyond the arc. Green essentially dared Westbrook to shoot.
Westbrook is a poor shooter, so Green didn’t guard him. The nine-time All-Star is shooting 29.5% from 3 this season. Westbrook has the fifth-worst effective field goal percentage and the fourth-worst true shooting percentage in the NBA.
The Clippers are 0-4 since signing Westbrook, who is averaging 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists with LAC while shooting 45.7% overall and 28.6% from deep. The UCLA product had his worst game with the Clippers against the Warriors, shooting 3-of-12 from the floor and 0-of-5 from 3-point range.
Draymond Green Explains His Defense on Russell Westbrook
Green told reporters after the Warriors-Clippers game that the game plan was to sag off Westbrook. The Golden State star said sagging off players can impact their confidence.
“It will make you think, for sure,” Green said. “Because you’re open every play and you’re taught in basketball, ‘You’re open, take the shot.’ But if you’re open every play, you kind of start questioning yourself.”
Westbrook was traded by the Lakers to the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline. The NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles got bought out by the Jazz, allowing him to sign with the Clippers. LAC has dropped to seventh place in the Western Conference standings after being in the fourth spot at the All-Star break.
“For us, we just got to stay the course,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said after the Warriors game. “Got to be mentally tough, mentally strong, can’t give in and just got to be tougher. That’s the bottom line. When stuff doesn’t go your way, it shows you what you’re made of. I’m confident that we have a good team and they have to be the same way. They’ve got to feel the same confidence. I don’t care about missed shots, it’s going to happen. You’re going to turn the ball over some, but you can’t give in and my thing is just having that toughness and that mindset that, OK, things are not going well, then let’s do something about it.”
LeBron James Has a Right Foot Tendon Injury
Lakers superstar LeBron James suffered a right foot tendon injury on February 26 against the Dallas Mavericks. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.
James, 38, is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season while shooting 50.1% from the field, 30.8% from beyond the arc and 75.9% from the free-throw line. The Lakers are in 11th place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 30-33.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported on March 2 that James won’t require surgery on his right foot. LeBron is currently in a walking boot.
“So what I can say on LeBron is that sources did inform me that he will not require surgery,” Haynes said on Episode 12 of his “#thisleague UNCUT” podcast with Marc Stein. “That’s good news for the Lakers. So right now, it’s all about time and the rehabbing process.”
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