Russell Westbrook has not had an easy start to his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook has been struggling since the opening game, often missing important shots and turning the ball over in key moments, which has cost the Lakers a lot of games this season.
But it looks like he may have turned the corner, and begun a good stretch of form. And perhaps, this was after NBC Sports Boston decided to mock him after the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers. After the Lakers-Celtics game, NBC Sports was interviewing former Laker and current Celtics star Dennis Schroder.
Schroder famously fumbled the bag, when he turned down a massive contract offer from the Lakers, only to go sign with the Celtics on a minimum deal. During the interview with Schroder, NBC Sports Boston ran a graphic that read “Y’all paying Russ $44 million lol.”
https://twitter.com/hoopsdontstop/status/1465917020088721412
At the time, it was a hilarious moment, but also a somewhat valid assessment of Russ’ performances up until that point. But since then, Russ has improved his performances massively. Since this graphic, Russell Westbrook has been averaging 27.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per game.
This turnaround in his form actually comes at a good time for the Lakers, especially given they won’t have LeBron James for the foreseeable future after a COVID-19 diagnosis and checked into NBA’s health and safety protocols.
If Russ can continue performing this way, and possibly even improve his performances, he and the Lakers might be able to turn their season around, while LeBron James recovers and makes his return.
The Lakers actually had their best performance this season last night against the Sacramento Kings, something fans were thrilled about. In a solid performance, Russ scored 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. This game could be the turning point of the Lakers’ season if they can perform this way consistently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWLbTmkSJs
