The Los Angeles Lakers have been getting off to some truly poor starts in recent games. They scored only 12 points in the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors on Monday and gave up 48 points to the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter in the game before that one. A large reason for their losses is that the Lakers keep finding themselves in holes that are too large to get out of.
Russell Westbrook, who is a part of the starting unit still despite suggestions that he shouldn’t be because of his poor performances, was asked about the phenomenon and what he thinks the Lakers can do to avoid this situation going forward. His answer wasn’t one that will inspire confidence among Lakers fans, Russ basically just admitted that he had no explanation for what’s been happening in these games.
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1503604933542625280
“I’m not sure. I don’t have an answer for you on that one.”
A response like that could be a sign of two things. The first is that Russ is mentally checked out even more than people suspect that he is. The second is that the Lakers are actually struggling to figure out the issues with the team, which is somehow an even worse situation.
It’s obvious that Westbrook will have been frustrated by another loss but answers like this in press conferences are not going to help him or the Lakers. Earlier in the season, he got called out for saying he had no expectations from the season, and this quote likely won’t be received well either.
Following the loss to the Raptors, the Lakers are now just 1 game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans in the 10th seed, who have been trending upwards since acquiring CJ McCollum. The more this team fails to win games, the more intense the fallout in the offseason will likely be, and some of the role players need to step up if they want a long-term future on the team.
