Russell Westbrook has been criticized a lot this season, by fans and analysts alike. There’s no doubt that he’s had a rough year with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he is far from the only problem on that roster. Russell Westbrook is still putting up solid numbers, currently averaging 18.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.2 APG.
There has been a lot of debate about whether Russell Westbrook can be the starting point guard on a championship team this year, as the Lakers have fallen short of their championship expectations with him as the starting point guard. Shannon Sharpe once claimed that Russell Westbrook “is awful” and added that anyone who thinks that Westbrook can play “a prominent role” on a championship roster “doesn’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.”
As of late though, Russell Westbrook has been playing better than he has for the majority of the season. Over the Los Angeles Lakers’ last 3 games, Westbrook is putting up 21.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 9.7 APG. He is also shooting 50% from beyond the arc over this stretch.
There are a lot of people who have doubted Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers this season due to their performance. They have however won 2 of their last 3 games, and perhaps this could be a foundation from which they could finish the season strong. Russell Westbrook recently took shots at all the haters, claiming that there’s “nothing better than shutting people up.”
Russ says he knows outside people are doubting him and the Lakers: "Nothing better than shutting people up."
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) March 22, 2022
If the Los Angeles Lakers can keep up some of their recent performances, then they could potentially be a dangerous team in the play-in. If they can get to the playoffs and get Anthony Davis back healthy, their series against the Phoenix Suns could be more competitive than people think.
With that being said, 2 wins don’t necessarily mean that the Los Angeles Lakers are suddenly an amazing team again. Russell Westbrook and the Lakers will have to keep proving people wrong over this last stretch of the season, and perhaps they’ll be able to do so.
