What a difference a week can make! Just think back to the 23rd of October, and Russell Westbrook seemed to be on the firing line after a disastrous sequence at the end of their game against the Blazers. With the Lakers leading by 1 late in the game, Westbrook took an ill-advised pull-up jumper when there were 18 seconds left on the shot clock. He missed it, and eventually, the Lakers ended up losing the game.
Lakers fans were done with him after that, but the thing about the NBA is that there is always a shot at redemption fairly quickly. After that Portland game, head coach Darvin Ham made the decision to have Westbrook come off the bench, and he has had a lot of success in his new role.
Lakers Fans Fill Appreciation Post About Russell Westbrook
Those very same fans who were done with him were full of praise for the way he performed in the game against the Nuggets. He played a pivotal role in getting that first win of the season, and now there is new-found hope that Russ could flourish off the bench. A Lakers fan on their Subreddit put out a Russell Westbrook appreciation post, and the fans gushed over how well Russ played.
“OFF-THE-BENCHBROOK IS BESTBROOK”
“Russ killed it tonight! 18/8/8 and W”
“that man was smiling all night long man made me happy as hell. Amazing statline, hitting threes, making good passes”
“Great game Russ! This is is the type of play that we need, nothing more, and definitely nothing less!!!”
“Everyone go f***ing spam his social media posts and hype this man up. If we have Russ leading the second unit with confidence we have a shot”
“6MOTY russ”
“So happy for him tonight. Brought the crowd to its feet and delivered tonight. Brodie lock in “
“We’ve wanted to get hyped with Russ for so long. Tonight was awesome “
“Love this Russ.”
“I, for one, am ready for Mr. Westbrooks redemption arc as the Lakers prepare to hang their 18th banner at the end of this season.”
“Props to WB. Throwing ego and making the most out of it.”
“He made smart plays all night and you could feel how happy he is all game. Also that huge 3 he hit in the 3rd quarter where the crowd was gasping I think was a turning point this game (and hopefully moving forward).”
“You see what happens when you unleash the Brodie!!”
“Ham brought him in to close and a lot of fans probably groaned, but he closed. He was great.”
“I’m as critical of him as anyone but I’m not stupid, good game tonight and a big factor in the win.”
“Was happy seeing dude pump the crowd up and havin fun again. Good win”
“Bestbrook. This is the way to use him. Not JUST that he was coming off the bench, but that he was allowed to play point. Let Bron play off ball when the share the court.”
“TEAM HIGH +18”
“He showed his real quality last game. Can be a game changer from the bench”
“Great game by Russ. No complaints tonight.”
Will this good run off the bench last for Russ? No one knows the answer to that question, but so far so good. They have been a much better team with him on the court since he started coming off the bench, and if this keeps up, then the season won’t end in total disaster.
All hope was seemingly lost not so long back, but it looks like there might well be some light at the end of the tunnel. Another tough test awaits the Lakers on Wednesday night when they take on the Pelicans, and it’s another chance for them to show that things are indeed turning around.
