In almost two seasons of miserable basketball, Russell Westbrook finally moved on from the Lakers this February as part of the deal that put Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in the Purple and Gold.
But as Westbrook prepares to join his new team, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he still has believers across the NBA. In fact, in The Athletic’s mid-season player poll, Russ was specifically mentioned by players as someone they want to see succeed.
“Westbrook. Good dude, man. Lotta people give him a lot of crap,” said Buddy Hield. “He’s a Hall of Famer. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves. A great dude and you can hear the way his teammates talk about him. The way the media portrays him isn’t accurate.”
Since Westbrook’s disastrous Lakers launch, he has been routinely blamed and criticized for his struggles to fit in. But with the Clippers, he’ll have the chance to right his wrongs and prove all the haters wrong.
“Probably Russ. Just as much as he’s been through, as much – they paint the picture of him,” said Paul George. “He’s absolutely one of the best dudes, one of the best people in this league. And it would be nice to see him get decorated.”
While his Lakers exit was not orchestrated by his own accord, months of slander and criticism made it obvious that Russ was not wanted by the 17x champs and many fans believe his reputation will never recover.
Can Russell Westbrook Win A Title With The Clippers?
Russ will soon re-join Paul George on the Clippers, and experts are eager to see if he can play better on a team that is better suited for his talents. With the Lakers, No. 0 was being asked to be a playmaker and ball-handler for an extremely limited roster, and the lack of shooting around him exposed his own flaws to a heightened degree.
Shooting isn’t as big of a problem for the Clips, who have guys like PG, Kawhi Leonard, and Norman Powell to hit outside shots and take the scoring pressure off the former MVP.
It remains to be seen how big of an impact Westbrook can make with his new team, but there are clearly a lot of people rooting for his success.
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