Getty Images Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Russell Westbrook has been the target of some harsh criticism to open his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and has fired back at those who think he’s been a problem for the squad.
Westbrook defended himself while speaking to the media this week, saying he shouldn’t be judged by the numbers he put up previously because they were not “normal.” After all, he’s trying to fit in alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis — two of the best players in the league when healthy.
“Honestly, I think I’ve been fine,” Westbrook told reporters on Monday, December 28. “The conversation has been heavily on how I’m playing and what I’m been doing, but I think people are expecting me to have f– 25, 15, and 15, which, that is not normal. That’s not like a normal thing that people do consistently. I know I’ve done it for the past five years or so. So when people are saying ‘Russ be Russ,’ I think nobody knows what that means, I think people just say it, but nobody actually knows what that means besides myself.”
Entering Tuesday’s matchup against the Rockets, Westbrook was averaging 19.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists. While not stellar, his shooting has progressed since a tough start to the year — 45.1 percent from the field and 30.4 from three-point land.
“I’m going to go out and just play and do what I do best — and that’s compete my ass off, compete to win games and make my teammates better like I’ve done many, many years,” Westbrook said. “And I’ll continue to do that. It’s as simple as that.”
LeBron James Backs Russell Westbrook
GettyLA Lakers stars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook warm up before a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers are in the middle of a five-game losing streak and entered Tuesday sitting at 16-18. That was not the expectation when LA shipped off Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious-Caldwell Pope to land Westbrook this offseason.
But despite the target being on Westbrook’s back and the calls for a trade growing, LeBron James has had his guard’s back.
“He gave us extra possessions, he gave us a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can’t stand [failing to convert] as well,” James said. “But as far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I got no problem with that. It’s a make-or-miss league.”
Shanon Sharpe: Westbrook Doesn’t Get it
Watching Westbrook can be a frustrating task at times and many are calling for the Lakers to simply end the experiment and deal the former MVP. Undisputed host Shanon Sharpe is among those in the camp that the Lakers are better off without Westbrook.
“He doesn’t get it,” Sharpe said. “The Lakers are the ninth seed in the west. They were one of the favorites to win the conference. They’re the ninth seed and Russ says, ‘I’m fine.’ Everybody wants him to have 25-15-15 — nobody thinks that. Nobody wants that. They want you to stop turning the ball over, especially in crucial situations.
“They want you to stop playing so out of control on a normal basis. That’s a normal occurrence for you. You say 25-15-15 is not normal. What is normal is you turning the ball over at a high rate. You playing out of control more times than not. You taking terrible shots more times than not. That’s what the Laker nation wants you [not] to do.”
The bigger problem for the Lakers would be finding a dancing partner. Westbrook is earning $44.2 million this season and has a player option for $47.1 million for next season. On top of that, Westbrook has historically surged down the stretch and the Lakers have yet to have a consistently healthy roster with him aboard.