Russell Westbrook has had it rough ever since he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. He has criticism come at him from seemingly all corners and while one might argue that a fair bit is undeserved, one area where he definitely has struggled is shooting the basketball.
Shooting has never really been Westbrook’s forte, which is why many doubted if he was the right choice for the Lakers last year, as LeBron James needs shooters around him. It proved to be a terrible fit as well, as Westbrook shot 44.4% from the field and 29.8% from beyond the arc.
Russell Westbrook Denies That He Has Changed His Shooting Form This Offseason
Those numbers were pretty much in line with how he has shot the ball throughout his career, but being on the Lakers meant it came under the microscope. Reports indicated previously that Westbrook had improved his shooting form this offseason and his shot did look pretty good in some workout videos as well, but the former MVP says he has made no changes to his form.
Russell Westbrook said today he didn't adjust his shooting form in the offseason, merely working on being patient and relaxed: "The quality of shots is important. Making sure I’m not taking the bad ones is something I try to emphasize, attacking the basket."
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 8, 2022
“Russell Westbrook said today he didn’t adjust his shooting form in the offseason, merely working on being patient and relaxed: “The quality of shots is important. Making sure I’m not taking the bad ones is something I try to emphasize, attacking the basket.”
Well, there has been no change then and considering he never felt the need to change it all these years tells you he probably feels comfortable with it the way it is. He needs to focus on taking better-quality shots as he states here, but we still don’t see his numbers going up significantly, because this is just who he is.
Those shooting numbers aren’t going to magically go up at this late stage of his career and, considering his advanced age, there are only so many times that he is going to attack the basket. While the shooting is unlikely to see much of a change, Westbrook has been doing other things that the Lakers want from him. He has been an active on-ball screener, is pushing the pace, and is prioritizing finding his teammates rather than shooting. He is also showing a greater commitment on the defensive end, which is what new head coach Darvin Ham has always stressed he wanted him to do. So, there is hope that we see a better all-around version of Russ on the court this season but just don’t count on his shooting to be all that different.
