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Russell Westbrook has heard enough of the critics.
Shortly after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, January 2, the Lakers point guard defended himself against his critics. The win came after another Westbrook-esque performance in which he put up 20 points and five assists — but did so while also committing nine turnovers.
“I disagree with the point that the game wasn’t going my way,” says Westbrook. “My game is not predicated on shots or if I turn the ball over. If I miss some shots, that’s part of the game. I’m allowed to miss shots. I can do that. Like any other player, I can do that. I can turn the ball over too. I can do that, that’s all a part of the game. But when you watch a basketball game and figure out what impact is, making the right plays, boxing out, rebounding, whatever that may be, making the right play, making the right reads. That’s all about being a basketball player.”
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Westbrook’s Play Leading to Negatives
The Lakers’ mediocre 19-19 start midway through the 2021-22 season has been blamed on the play of the enigmatic Westbrook. While it’s clear that the 33-year-old point guard dominates from a statistics standpoint, he does so while shooting inefficiently from the field and committing a high degree of turnovers.
The advanced analytics paint the picture of how Westbrook is actually contributing very little positives to the performance of the offense and continues to be detrimental on defense. The offense is scoring just 100 points per 100 possessions with Westbrook on the court. That is actually the lowest mark of any Lakers starer and the lowest of any rotation player outside of Talen Horton-Tucker and Kent Bazemore.
On the defensive end of things, the Lakers are allowing 109 points per 100 possessions with Westbrook on the floor. That’s a minus-nine point differential per 100 possessions with the veteran point guard on the court. That number also represents the worst mark of any Lakers rotation player outside of Horton-Tucker.
It’s clear that while Westbrook brings an all-around game to the court, he does so while converting on very few of his 3-point attempts (30.2% shooting from beyond the arc) and while turning the ball over at a high rate (4.8 turnovers per game, second-most in the league).
Westbrook has always been a headstrong player. But the fact that he remains stubborn to changing up his style of play may be a large reason why he’s lacking in team success throughout his career.
Fellow Lakers are also coming to the defense of Westbrook amid criticism over his style of play.
Anthony Defends Westbrook’s Turnovers
Carmelo Anthony offered support for his veteran teammate following the win.
“I don’t think we have to be on him about what he does out there on the basketball court, the turnovers or anything like that, because he beats himself up about it anyways,” Anthony told reporters. “We’re just there to support him, let him figure it out, and we’ll be right by his side.”
The turnovers are nothing new for the point guard. Westbrook has averaged at least 4.3 turnovers per game for at least eight straight seasons. He’s ranked no lower than third in the NBA in turnovers over that span.
While Westbrook and Anthony may be downplaying the effect of his turnovers, there’s nothing positive about it — the turnovers are playing a role in the Lakers’ losses this season.
Addressing and improving the issue will only help the Lakers win more games this season.
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