Russell Westbrook’s tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers was disastrous, but Boston Celtics commentators Brian Scalabrine and Drew Carter think he faced a lot of unfair criticism. During the broadcast of the preseason game between the Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, the two stated Westbrook was scapegoated and took some shots at LeBron James.
Brian Scalabrine: “But I’ll tell you what? I am rooting for him to make like nine threes against the Lakers because he got a lot of heat for that. That was a disaster team and he got all the heat for that whole thing. So I’m kind of hoping that he can make a bunch of threes against that team.”
Drew Carter: “You’re telling me one of LeBron’s teammates became a scapegoat out of nowhere?”
Brian Scalabrine: “Yeah.”
Drew Carter: “Are you kidding?”
Brian Scalabrine: “I know, it’s crazy, right?”
I also think Westbrook was scapegoated, although you could argue who was behind that. Carter and Scalabrine hinted at LeBron being the one responsible, as there always tends to be a scapegoat whenever his teams fail to live up to expectations.
When the Lakers acquired Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in 2021, they believed he was the piece who would take them back to the top. Instead, they sank near the bottom with him.
The Lakers went just 33-49 in 2021-22 and ended up missing the playoffs. Westbrook bore the brunt of the blame, as it was crystal clear he was a terrible fit next to LeBron and Anthony Davis. Did that fit play a part in the Lakers’ struggles? Sure, but that was far from the only reason why they were so bad.
For starters, that Lakers roster as a whole just wasn’t a good one. You had one too many players there who were well past their best like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Avery Bradley, and DeAndre Jordan. Injuries were another big reason, as both James and Davis spent a fair bit of time on the sidelines.
So, when you have a bad roster, your two biggest stars miss time with injuries, and the third star doesn’t fit well with the other two, you get a disappointing season. I firmly believe there was plenty of blame to go around when it came to the Lakers in 2021-22.
The following season, Westbrook agreed to come off the bench in order to help the Lakers. While putting him in that second unit was the right move, the team continued to struggle and it was clear a breakup was needed.
That would happen in Feb. 2023, when Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz, in a three-team trade that also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves. With that, he ended his Lakers tenure with averages of 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
A fair few have come to Westbrook’s defense in the years that followed, as Scalabrine and Carter did here. Former NBA player Quentin Richardson blasted Lakers fans for scapegoating Westbrook while Charles Barkley has criticized the organization for doing the same.
As for the man himself, well, Westbrook recently called out the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers for not putting him in a position to succeed. The nine-time All-Star believes the Nuggets are doing that and seems confident he’ll succeed at this pit stop.
As for Westbrook’s preseason debut with the Nuggets, he finished the game with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Celtics were the ones who emerged victorious, though, winning 107-103.
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