After 13 seasons in the NBA, Russell Westbrook finds himself facing his toughest challenge yet. As he struggles to fit in with an old and awkward Lakers team, fans and analysts have bashed him with absurd amounts of criticism.
Whether it’s his poor shooting numbers on offense or his high turnover rate, Russ has been the biggest target of blame for the critics.
Recently, one fan even went so far as to send Russ a diss track in his Instagram DMs.
But it hasn’t been all bad for Westbrook. Despite the overwhelming amount of hate he has received recently, he does still have a few willing to come to his defense.
On social media, former Laker Nick Young was the latest to stand up for Russ, pointing out how the 9x All-Star is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
That’s why they losing because ppl show hate more them love this man Russ is a first ballot Hall of Famer and y’all been talking about him like he tony snell lol no disrespect
Whatever people might be saying about him now, there is no doubting his place in NBA history. As a 9x All-Star, 9x All-NBA player, 1x MVP, and 2x Scoring Champ, he’s accomplished more than most players could dream of.
And even amid troubling times, he has no regrets about where he is now.
“I swear, nobody can imagine it for me because everybody thinks about basketball as the end-all-be-all, but it’s really not, you know?” he continued. “Sportswriters, everybody’s got their own opinion. But I really believe that me being able to do (be in LA) and embrace my kids, it makes them — it puts a smile on my face regardless of what’s happening now.”
“No,” he said when asked if he had any regrets about the move. “Nah. I mean, not at all, because — like I told you — it’s bigger than basketball for me.”
With the Lakers struggling, it’s easy for fans to pin the blame on Westbrook, a flawed player who has seen limited success in his previous tenures.
But Russ isn’t the only issue plaguing the Lakeshow. The durability of Anthony Davis and inconsistency from the supporting cast are just some of the other glaring problems.
It remains to be seen if the team can get a grip and turn their season around.
