The Washington Wizards are cruising in the East with a 9-3 record and are sitting pretty atop the Eastern Conference standings. While fans are delighted with the development, they are coming at Russell Westbrook hot for jumping ship.
Hoopers that were only seen as rotation players with the Los Angeles Lakers are getting their time in the spotlight, following their trade to the nation’s capital. Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell are two big-impact players for the Wizards right now, and they are only there because they were included in a trade package for Westbrook.
The No. 1 Seed Wizards are 9-3. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KeGbab1Rlb
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 14, 2021
It is a double whammy for Russ as his former team is thriving while the Lakers are struggling to find their footing in the Western Conference. They are currently ranked 7th with a 7-6 record. Fans have taken to social media to take shots at Westbrook.
https://twitter.com/ElSleepyFloyd/status/1459708696389296130https://twitter.com/JordanN1333272/status/1459708122704928772
I can see the trade brewing in Bron's head rn pic.twitter.com/NHsfKPO4IE
— BossHogg (@6Hogg6) November 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/Wadesburner/status/1459706814241685506https://twitter.com/Brother0range/status/1459706979237117955https://twitter.com/SHlVV_410/status/1459706844029538308
Russ was holding this contender back with his bricks and stat padding. I guarantee lakers would be first seed rn if they didn’t do the Russ trade pic.twitter.com/S2iPN340BP
— Westbrick Facts (@Westbricknews) November 14, 2021
@RudyMontalvo32 westbrook was the problem.. he just had to be traded dawg @itszayyt
— Chris | Spurs Spotlight (@SpursSpotlight) November 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/MUFC_Maguire/status/1459801752945967109
The Russell westbrick effect
— . (@NotWishyyy) November 14, 2021
Of course they are , Westbrook left!
— Phil (@porpoisehead) November 14, 2021
Without @russwest44 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🔥
— ilich Rodríguez Gómez (@ilichRodriguezG) November 14, 2021
@216YoungTO 1 seed when Russ leave
— Dai’Jon (@daijon504) November 14, 2021
So far, the Wizards are the significant benefactors of the blockbuster five-team trade that sent Russ away, as four of their starting lineup came in via that trade deal.
Bradley Beal leads the team with 23.3 points, while the second-best scorer on the team is the 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Montrezl Harrell has continually spoken on his frustration with the Lakers and is showing how effective he can be if given the opportunity.
Meanwhile, things are going from bad to worse for the Lakers, who might have to play a few more games without LeBron James. They recorded their worst loss so far in the 2021-22 season in their last outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Westbrook is doing Westbrook things, averaging huge numbers in points (19.4), rebounds (8.8), and assists (8.5), but his turnover rate is a major cause of worry. While these numbers look great, he is not playing at the level he is known to play at. Perhaps they will gel more as time goes on.
