The 2021-22 season was not kind to All-Star guard Russell Westbrook. He came to Los Angeles just weeks after completing a subpar campaign for the Washington Wizards, and there were a lot of doubts about what kind of impact he’d have on the Lakers.
By the time his first season in SoCal was completed, many of those doubters were proved right. The Lakers fell to 11th in the West, and Russ’ value fell to an all-time low.
This summer, the Purple and Gold responded by replacing head coach Frank Vogel with the widely respected Darvin Ham. So far, Ham has spoken highly of Westbrook and his game, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst isn’t sure anything will actually change.
Here’s what he said in an appearance on ‘First Take’ this week:
“I don’t think enough people talk about this Russell Westbrook exit interview because what Russ said was borderline delusional. Basically, what Russ did at the end of that Laker season, was take no personal accountability. … And blamed most of it on his coach Frank Vogel for not setting him up and defining things for him to be more successful. And then he partially blamed it on LeBron and Antony Davis, too, when he said they didn’t change their games when Russell himself changed almost nothing.”
.@WindhorstESPN isn't confident Darvin Ham can get Russell Westbrook to change his game:
"Basically what Russ did at the end of that Laker season, was take no personal accountability. … And blamed most of it on his coach Frank Vogel." pic.twitter.com/ZffQEKwg9T
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 8, 2022
Westbrook became one of the most hated players in the league last season simply for the way he played on the court. He was often out of control and inefficient, which put a major strain on the potential of the team.
In the locker room and to the media, Russ was arguably even worse. Instead of owning up to his mistakes, he blamed his critics and the coaching staff for not appreciating his talents.
New coach Darvin Ham is starting off with optimism about the season ahead, but you can’t blame anyone for having some doubts about how he will make Westbrook work on this team.
