Russell Westbrook has been the subject of massive scrutiny over the last few months. Westbrook joined the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason when the Lakers completed a trade with the Washington Wizards. But the move has not worked out well at all, and Westbrook has been subjected to significant criticism.
The Lakers were without Westbrook last night against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Lakers still lost. After the game, LeBron James spoke about Russell Westbrook’s struggles recently and noted that he had spoken to Westbrook, but did not want to divulge the details of their conversation.
LeBron said he has talked to Russell Westbrook privately and would not share the details of their conversation. Here’s what else he said about Russ, on the eve of the trade deadline: pic.twitter.com/T7OuMpF59m
— michael corvo (@michaelcorvo_) February 10, 2022
“He wants to be better and he wants to put us in a position where we can in ballgames with him on the floor. He wants to make plays. He wants to lead this team like he’s capable of doing and like he’s done in his career. He wants to prove to people, prove to himself that he knows he belongs on a championship ball club, or someone that’s aspiring to be a championship ball club. But those are my guesses. I’m not going to tell you exactly our dialogue, but those are my guesses. Because I know the person that he is. I understand that he knew, and we know, what we’re all here for. I just hat that we’re all here right now and it kind of hasn’t worked out that way two-thirds through the season.”
There has been speculation over Westbrook’s relationship with the Lakers. After the Lakers’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Russ was spotted consoling LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a move that was made fun of by many fans. After the game, Westbrook explained that he told the duo that he wished he could have helped them in the game.
After the game, he also criticized head coach Frank Vogel’s decision to bench him in the 4th quarter, noting that it affects his rhythm significantly. Westbrook received a lot of criticism for his comments, as Kendrick Perkins even called him out for not taking any accountability for his poor play.
There is speculation that James could green-light a Westbrook trade for John Wall if things don’t go well. Whether that move comes to fruition remains to be seen.
