Ever since his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, former MVP Russell Westbrook has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Arguably the scapegoat of the Lakers’ miserable season, pundits and fans have been critical of Westbrook and his performances with the Purple and Gold.
The same trend has continued in the preseason as well. Despite a very different squad around him and a new coach at the helm, Brodie hasn’t played well in the preseason. Unable to find his form in the couple of games he has played, fans have scrutinized the guard for not playing with the team.
Recently, another controversy surrounding the guard has emerged. In a recent video, the former MVP was spotted away from the team huddle, which led to some heavy scrutiny levied by Lakers fans. Westbrook certainly is not the biggest fan of this and is understandably frustrated with the situation.
Paul George Supports Russell Westbrook Despite Recent Criticisms
Amid all the controversy surrounding Westbrook and his attitude towards his teammates, former teammate Paul George has come out in Westbrook’s defense. In a recent tweet, PG13 backed his former teammate and urged him to keep his sanity and silence his critics.
PG showing his support for former teammate Russell Westbrook 🤝 pic.twitter.com/nDE6Xgrz10
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 13, 2022
Both George and Westbrook have had their fair share of history in dealing with critics. After a disaster of an experiment with the OKC Thunder where Brodie and PG13 couldn’t even make it to the second round of the playoffs, the duo was heavily scrutinized by fans and critics alike.
A similar trend continued in the teams they joined. With ‘Playoff P’ choking in the 2020 playoffs and Westbrook failing to perform with the Houston Rockets, the duo was yet again at the center of all criticism. But the 2021 playoffs changed the narrative for George as he was the standout performer for the Los Angeles Clippers and led them all the way to the Conference Finals.
While PG13 has somewhat redeemed himself, the same cannot be said for Westbrook. The former MVP does have a great chance this season with the Lakers. With LeBron James still looking in prime shape and Anthony Davis also fit, Brodie and the Lake show can put up a good postseason run. If Westbrook ends up performing, then he finally won’t be criticized by fans, but if he does not perform, this cycle of scrutiny won’t stop for the former MVP.
