Russell Westbrook’s season is seemingly getting better after he posted a triple-double against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. He made some clutch plays for the Purple and Gold, earning a lot of praise after a season full of criticism for the former NBA MVP.
The Lakers hoped to continue their good pace on Saturday night, but the Washington Wizards had different plans. They recovered from a big disadvantage and won the game at Capital One Arena, bringing the Lakers back to earth after their big win over the Raptors.
They are 11 games under the .500 mark, but the players are confident they can get the job done this campaign. After the match was over, Russell Westbrook stated that the Lakers can still be a dangerous team given all the talent they have on the roster.
First, he mentioned that he’s doing everything he can to help his team succeed, explaining that sometimes it works and others don’t.
"Defensively in the fourth we weren't as great as we were last night." @russwest44 on the difference in today's game. pic.twitter.com/JJSkHAmYSa
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 20, 2022
“I just try to play and see the best way to benefit our group. It can be tonight, it can be a combination of different things that I can do on the floor, so I try to do that.”
Talking about the dangerousness of his team, Russ stated that he still believes the Lakers can do a lot of damage in the league given the quality of players they have on their ranks at this moment.
“I stand on what I say always,” he said. “Regardless of who’s on the floor, I know we have a chance because of the talent in our locker room. I still believe that.”
In the past few seasons, Westbrook has gotten used to getting better during the last months or weeks of competition. The Lakers could take advantage of this and enter a good streak that maybe doesn’t allow them to avoid the play-in tournament, but have a good rhythm coming into the playoffs.
That seems unlikely right now, but the Purple and Gold, and Russ, could surprise everybody in the last month of competition. We have to wait and see how the rest of the season plays out for the 17-time NBA champions.
