All season long, Russell Westbrook has been fighting to earn the love and respect of Lakers fans. In the game against the Knicks, it became clear that he still has a long way to go.
Losers of 6 of their last 10 games, the Lakers have been reeling of late and Russ has been right at the center of blame and criticism. After missing a jumper on Saturday night, the L.A. crowd made sure to let their displeasure be known.
There were loud boos coming down in L.A. after Russell Westbrook, with the Lakers down 19 in the second quarter to the Knicks, hit the side of the basket on a midrange jump shot. Been a rough night for Westbrook and the Lakers, mirroring a rough season.
There were loud boos coming down in L.A. after Russell Westbrook, with the Lakers down 19 in the second quarter to the Knicks, hit the side of the basket on a midrange jump shot. Been a rough night for Westbrook and the Lakers, mirroring a rough season.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 6, 2022
Laker fans are booing Russell Westbrook after this awful miss 😳 https://t.co/yOrAtlB5EA
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 6, 2022
Things have only gone from bad to worse for a Lakers team that was juggling Championship aspirations a few months ago. Over the past few months, it has become clear among fans that Westbrook is not a good fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. His flaws as a shooter, decision-maker and defender have been exposed to the highest degree.
The good news is, Westbrook hasn’t checked out just yet. Even amid troubling times, he is preaching patience.
“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.”
Through 53 games so far, the Purple and Gold are just 25-28 — a record that has them at 9th in the West. For an older Lakers team that resides in the competitive Western Conference, that is not a position that suits their interests.
Nevertheless, they don’t have any other option but to try and make things work. Who knows, if they get healthy and make some adjustments, the situation for Westbrook and his Lakers could change.
