14 years into his NBA career, Russell Westbrook is on track to have his worst season as a pro. After singing in OKC, and winning an MVP in 2017, Westbrook bounced around for a while before landing with the Lakers in 2021. What started out as optimism and excitement quickly turned into panic as Lakers fans realized that a partnership of Russ, LeBron, and Davis was never going to work.
Now, Westbrook has become the scapegoat for a struggling Lakers team, with his latest move being a demotion to the bench.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are planning to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves,” said ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski last week, “and will continue to feature him in a reserve role for the foreseeable future. Westbrook missed L.A.’s loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday with left hamstring soreness, but his status was upgraded to probable on Friday morning.”
Westbrook had a solid showing in his first game off the bench, dropping 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in 32 minutes. Still, there are doubts that Russ will handle his new role well in the long term — either way, it is not an easy transition for him.
Derek Fisher Drops Truth Bomb On Russell Westbrook’s New Role On The Lakers
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, former NBA point guard and Knicks coach Derek Fisher gave his take on the Westbrook situation and explained why it’s a hard thing for him to accept.
“That’s not an easy thing for a Hall of Fame player to go from a usage rate of possibly low to mid-30s, maybe higher, down to 18-20. Which may mean, okay I gotta go out and take 24 shots whenever I feel like it, sometimes 30, get to the free throw line 8-10 times. That helps me keep my rhythm, that helps me keep my shot in flow,” Fisher explained. “And now, all of a sudden, you come in here and cut all of that in half, maybe you cut it by two-thirds, and you expect the guy to be the same. It just doesn’t work that way.”
Fisher didn’t stop there, however. While he recognized the difficulty in adjusting to a lesser role, he also clarified that Russ needed to do whatever was necessary for his team to win.
“It’s not an excuse for not trying to find a way to positively impact your team. That’s ultimately what all of this is about. You can talk about numbers and data and percentages, but is your team winning? That’s the only percentage you gotta figure out as a group, is winning percentage. There is not one three-point field goal percentage on the side of an NBA Championship ring.”
Report says Russell Westbrook could come off the bench for the foreseeable future.
@DerekFisher shares his thoughts with @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8 on the recent news. pic.twitter.com/HpQ8JnJ0Js
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 30, 2022
Of course, unlike LeBron and Davis, Russ has yet to win a championship in his career. He has not yet proven to anyone that he’s even capable of pulling it off.
And while Westbrook is not nearly the same as he used to be, there are still ways he can be effective on the court if he’s willing to sacrifice and adapt to the betterment of the team.
