Russell Westbrook has had a rough time with the Los Angeles Lakers and his stock is probably at the lowest it’s ever been at this point. He was largely blamed for their disappointing 2021-22 season in which they missed the playoffs and there have been a lot of rumors circulating that the team is trying to trade him this offseason.
It doesn’t look like they’ll be able to do it, however, as the Lakers are reportedly unwilling to part with additional assets to get him off their books. That meant that whoever the next coach was going to be after Frank Vogel, had to find a way to get Westbrook to click with the roster.
That responsibility fell to the hands of Darvin Ham and the new Lakers coach sang Westbrook’s praises during his introductory press conference. There was still a moment of contention, however, when a reporter asked if Westbrook might come off the bench next season.
Dylan Hernandez asked if Russell Westbrook might come off the bench next season and Westbrook turned to his teammates, HBK, and Wenyen and laughed. Ham said he’s spoken with Russ and preached “sacrifice.” #Lakers #LakeShow
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) June 6, 2022
“Dylan Hernandez asked if Russell Westbrook might come off the bench next season and Westbrook turned to his teammates, HBK, and Wenyen and laughed. Ham said he’s spoken with Russ and preached “sacrifice.” #Lakers #LakeShow”
It is not surprising to see Westbrook being offended by that question. He is not that far off from having won the MVP award in 2017 and his last season with the Washington Wizards before coming to the Lakers, saw him average a triple-double while putting up 22.2 points per game. He firmly believes he still has a lot left in him when it comes to performing at a very high level in the NBA.
We are just not sure if he’d be able to put that on display as he plays third fiddle to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. His numbers dipped across the board in his first season with the Lakers and unless Darvin Ham somehow gets this bad fit to work out, these questions are only going to become more frequent during next season.
