Russell Westbrook has been one of the most heavily criticized players in the NBA this season. He has had a rough year and has definitely been inconsistent, though his play has improved as of late.
There has been a lot of doubt about whether Russell Westbrook can be a key piece on a championship-caliber team this year. Analyst Shannon Sharpe once stated that people who think that a team can win the championship “with Russ playing a prominent role” don’t “know basketball”.
“Russ is AWFUL. Anyone that thinks you can win a title with Russ playing a prominent role. Doesn’t know basketball. Lakers defensively are TERRIBLE.”
There’s no question that there has been a lot of disrespect towards Russell Westbrook from all sorts of people who follow the NBA. His former teammate, Bradley Beal has recently spoken out against that and claimed that the disrespect towards Russell Westbrook “gotta stop”, while pointing out the different ways that Russell Westbrook will play “winning basketball”.
"The disrespect, that sh*t gotta stop"@RealDealBeal23 to @Money23Green on Russ slander pic.twitter.com/nqfio85YHD
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 25, 2022
“That s*** piss me off. I ain’t gone lie, bro. It really — it really frustrate me, especially being a guy that played with him. The disrespect — that s*** gotta stop, bro. It’s gotta stop because we acting like this man is not a Hall of Famer.”
“Russ is going to play winning basketball. Russ is going to go get rebounds. Russ is going to make assists. Russ is going to take advantage of matchups he feel like he can.
“And he’s going to play 100 miles per hour. He’s going to play hard. If that’s not your cup of tea, don’t watch him.”
Even though he has struggled this year, there are tangible positives that Russell Westbrook brings to the basketball court. His recent play has definitely been encouraging, and over the last 5 games, Westbrook is putting up 20.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 8.4 APG, while shooting 44% from beyond the arc.
Hopefully, we see Russell Westbrook continue to find his rhythm and help the Los Angeles Lakers finish the season strong. If they do end up making the playoffs via the play-in tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers could potentially make some noise if they’re fully healthy. Russell Westbrook’s play is going to be key down the stretch, and the Lakers will need him at his best to make the playoffs.
