Russell Westbrook left unguarded at the 3-point line by Golden State was one of the key highlights during the Warriors vs. LA Clippers skirmish.
Westbrook’s poor shooting woes from beyond the arc have been well-documented, and the Warriors made full use of that knowledge by leaving him completely open and daring him to shoot. Their game plan was simple – leave Westbrook wide open from beyond the arc, and their plan was 100% successful as he went 0-from-5 from downtown.
Only that he didn’t, much to the chagrin of the team and the fans.
Draymond Green disrespecting Russell Westbrook’s shooting 😭
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) March 3, 2023
To provide a better perspective, look where Westbrook was actually aiming when he could have drained the shot. The Warriors were 11-10 at the 6:46 mark and Draymond Green was seen playing well off the guard on defense, daring him to take the shot.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 3, 2023
Westbrook ended up passing the ball to Paul George on his left, and this had former players and fans criticizing the 34-year-old for not taking a shot when he could have nailed it for the side.
A career 30.5 percent shooter from downtown, the guard has endured immense flak for his erratic and inconsistent shooting in recent years. This season, the 34-year-old is shooting 29.5% from beyond the arc — a stat that has seen a steady decline over time. Overall, he averaged 15.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 0.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game this season.
In three games he played for the Clippers before Thursday’s game, Westbrook has averaged 16 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists on 52.9% shooting from the field and 44.4% from 3-point land. However, the Warriors just don’t seem to care.
This was also one of the primary reasons behind the Los Angeles Lakers shipping him away ahead of the trade deadline. While Westbrook did acclimatize well as the sixth man, his shooting and inconsistent defense didn’t help the Lakers unit that was already devoid of shooters in the first place.
The team made the course correction by acquiring D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley by trading Westbrook in a three-team trade. Now, the Clippers will need to sort out this issue as their regular season inches to a close.
NBA Fans React To Russell Westbrook Left Open By The Golden State Warriors
The fans were partly amused and partly puzzled that Westbrook failed to make use of the golden opportunity to sink a three and for that matter, even prove a point that he shouldn’t be underestimated.
Please note that the comments have been edited for the purpose of clarification:
“Look at where they are guarding your professional point guard lord have mersay,” one of the fans tweeted.
Look at where they are guarding your professional point guard😂😂😂 lord have mersay https://t.co/t6G9mVULG4
— STR⭐️ (@SamThaRuler) March 3, 2023
One of them likened the move to how teams would never leave an opportunity like this for the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Teams don’t even leave Giannis this wide open from deep. https://t.co/GX3OKLEn0N
— Meteorologist Sam Kuffel (@SamKuffelWx) March 3, 2023
One Chicago Bulls fan was happy that the team ended up getting Patrick Beverley instead.
Glad we got @patbev21 instead 😭🙏🙏 https://t.co/AKydxuPNQv
— streetstweets (@streetstweetz) March 3, 2023
Another fan explained why the Clippers would find it tough to win with Westbrook in their ranks: “This entire thread is exactly why it’s tough to win with Russ even when he’s having a good box score night (he wasn’t tonight).”
This is entire thread is exactly why it’s tough to win with Russ even when he’s having a good box score night (he wasn’t tonight) https://t.co/9dt58ePpcF
— Lucas Burns (@nba_indepth) March 3, 2023
And the roast against the Clippers continued with one fan saying, “Clippers signing Russ will go down as one of the funniest/dumbest things a contending team has ever done mid-season lol.”
Clippers signing Russ will go down as one of the funniest/dumbest things a contending team has ever done mid season lol https://t.co/oAPpjP7RMR
— Tadessé (@haveyoumettad) March 3, 2023
The Clippers have been 0-4 since they landed the explosive guard. While they will look at this game and his outing as an aberration, the side will need to arrest the slide they are in.
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