Amid a three-game losing streak, and a disappointing season overall, Russell Westbrook isn’t worried about a thing.
Instead of looking for excuses or putting the blame on someone else, he simply preaches patience during a time when many have lost faith.
Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Portland, the 9x All-Star was candid about the play of his team, reminding reporters that he’s been here before.
“Last year at this point I was 15-32 at one point and we didn’t have a chance to make the playoffs. Your mindset, you just got to always believe that you can do something that people think you can’t and to me, once we create that mentality amongst each other, regardless of who’s in and who’s out, the spirit of our team, the spirit of the way you play the game, will be different.
“And regardless of what the record is, in the midst of having fun and playing, you kind of forget about the record. It doesn’t really matter, it just becomes a conversation that people like to have and expectations that put on us at the start of the year based on our talent, based on our team, expecting us to be at a certain level or at a certain record at this point, and for us, it just makes sure our energy is right and we’re going in the right direction.”
Russ hasn’t had an easy journey over the past few years. Going from OKC to Houston and then D.C., the guy has been passed around more than stuffing on Thanksgiving dinner.
This stint in L.A., however, might be his biggest challenge yet and he still has every confidence in the world that he and his squad will step up when the moment arrives.
“It’s always in reach,” Westbrook said. “When you get to the playoffs, it’s 0-0… That’s just how I feel. I feel that when you get to the playoffs, it doesn’t really matter, whatever their record is it doesn’t really matter. You get in the playoffs it’s 0-0 and the best team wins at that particular time of the year.
A 24-27, the Lakers are squarely in play-in territory at the moment and are a good 5 games back from that coveted 6th seed.
It will be an uphill battle for the rest of the season, and there is no guarantee the Lakers will figure things out before it’s too late.
But there is something to be admired about Westbrook’s resilient spirit. Against all the odds, he has faith and seems more determined than ever before to prove everyone wrong.
