Despite putting up insane numbers, Russell Westbrook is one of the most controversial players in the NBA.
He plays with heart every single night, but he can often lose control on the offensive end, which results in poor shot selection and many turnovers. On defense, he is frequently caught falling behind.
His flaws have been put on full display this season, and his value has taken an enormous plunge.
On Undisputed, sports analyst Shannon Sharpe explained what he, and many other Laks fans, are feeling on the Westbrook experiment this season:
“Russ is like that pretty girl at a rival school that makes you say if she was my girl, I’ll treat her like a queen and then when you get her, you realize why all the dudes left her.
That’s how Russ is everywhere, everybody. ‘Man, look how hard he plays. He rebounds, he assists, yadda, yadda, yadda. And then when you get him, you realize why all the other dudes left said beautiful girl. Now you realize why all the other said teams said ‘nah, we good without you.’ “
As a 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA player, 2x Scoring Champ, and 1x MVP, Westbrook is one of the most decorated players in the game. When he finished his first triple-double season in 2017, the guy was hailed and celebrated for making basketball history.
But now, the things he doesn’t bring to the table are overshadowing the things he does best. After years of early playoff exits, his game is being viewed from a different lens and there may be no going back.
At this point, all Russ can do is keep his head down, play to the best of his ability, and do whatever he can to help turn the Lakers’ season around. Because, if this project doesn’t work, it could spell disaster for his future in the NBA.
