It’s no secret that Russell Westbrook has had a tough time adjusting to his new team. Despite some great moments, Russ has been an inefficient mess since donning the Purple and Gold, shooting a low percentage and turning the ball over at an alarming rate during the team’s most important stretches.
Recently, it has only gotten worse. Entering tonight, Russ dropped a combined 15 points on 26% shooting over the past two games. Against the Kings tonight, he followed it up with an 8-point, 14% shooting performance.
Needless to say, fans went off on him after the game, flaming the guy on social media for his awful performance.
WANTED: LAPD is asking for your help in locating this man suspected of stealing $44 Million from the Lakers pic.twitter.com/Dj6jz87LJQ
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) January 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1481499879537090562
Russell Westbrook just has no place on the Lakers. You can’t even deny that at this point
— SWISHOUT (@swishout) January 13, 2022
Me, because there is no way to get rid of Russell Westbrook. #Lakers pic.twitter.com/gv1pEer995
— Real DEI's In Paris (@unibroward4405) January 13, 2022
Let me take a look at these Russell Westbrook stats tonight pic.twitter.com/nKgijbl5Gx
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) January 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/Nestor_Boss123/status/1481496020836040708
This Westbrook decline hurts to watch man…
— incognito tab #3 (@notcrypticno) January 13, 2022
Westbrook gotta figure it out, #LakersTwitter is in shambles right now.
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) January 13, 2022
We miss this version of Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/OeCnVv9oHu
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) January 13, 2022
This might be the worst stretch I've ever seen from Russell Westbrook in his entire career
— LegendOfWinning (@LegendOfWinning) January 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/baby8itchboy/status/1481498290806009858https://twitter.com/thefff198/status/1481499178282983424
Things have been less than ideal for Westbrook, to say the least. After an amazing run in Oklahoma City, he goes to Houston to pair with his teammate James Harden. Quickly, it becomes apparent their partnership doesn’t work and Russ is shipped from town after just a single season.
He lands in D.C., hopeful for a fresh start. Instead, he leads a similarly disappointing campaign that ends with Beal, and the Wizards, ready to move on.
Now, in Los Angeles, he’s playing some of the worst basketball of his entire career and it’s under the biggest spotlight in the league. His flaws, particularly on the offensive end, have become known to fans and the Lakers’ struggles haven’t reflected well on his impact as a player.
Most concerning of all is the way Westbrook has been acting of late. In light of widespread criticism, he laughed when reporters called him a point guard and had no answer at all when asked what his team can do to beat contenders.
“Um,” he said, “I don’t have the answer to that one.”
Things are getting pretty ugly and they won’t improve until Westbrook gets his act together.
At 21-21 on the season, the Purple and Gold are nowhere near where they want to be as a team and they’ve got a long way to go until they get there. For now, all they can do is push through, make adjustments, and figure out how to maximize what Westbrook brings to the floor.
We’ll see soon enough if the team is capable of a dramatic turnaround.
