Coming off their fourth win of the season and their second straight, the Los Angeles Lakers are finally showing some signs of life after an 0-5 start to the season.
Most of the credit for this win streak goes to Anthony Davis, who has carried the Lakers on both ends of the floor since LeBron James went down with an injury earlier in the season.
But according to Lonnie Walker IV, Russell Westbrook has also been a key to unlocking the potential of this team. As he explained on the Silver Screen and Roll podcast, Westbrook’s unselfish attitude and team-first mentality has trickled down to his teammates.
“He’s not an egotistic guy,” said Walker. “The world doesn’t revolve around him. He’s one of the most genuine, down-to-earth people I’ve ever met in my life. And to see the amount of harshness that he’s going through as far as social media and this last year and even this year… he comes to practice with great energy. He comes to practice ready to work. And it just goes to show his character and what type of player he is. That’s something that I have learned within myself. I’m here to do whatever it takes for my team to win and Russ is one of the first leaders to show that. That’s a future Hall of Famer, he confused us as to why he’s going on to the bench or why he’s saying ‘yes I’ll be a sixth man.’ For him to take that role and elevate it to a whole other level and create a whole new identity speaks incredible volumes.”
Our @AnthonyIrwinLA spoke to @lonniewalker_4 about Russell Westbrook coming off the bench and what it's been like watching that transition.
Full show: https://t.co/mr32KXFyQn pic.twitter.com/2NJwg9ncc3
— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) November 18, 2022
Russell Westbrook Has Been The Target Of Blame For Lakers Fans This Season
In a season that was doomed from the start, Russ has gotten most of the blame for L.A.’s failures over the past year. While some criticisms are justified, Russ isn’t nearly the negative some made him out to be, and that has shown with his improved play this season.
Off the bench, Russ is averaging 15.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game on 40% shooting. Right now, he’s even the Lakers’ best shooter, hitting threes more consistently than Klay Thompson (at least, for right now). While those numbers aren’t All-Star worthy, it’s making a real impact during games, and it might just be good enough to earn him Sixth Man of the Year honors this season.
Whatever the case, don’t listen to some of these narratives being passed around about Westbrook. He has been great for the Lakers this season, and his teammates clearly have a lot of respect for what he brings to the table.
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