When the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook over the summer, there was much excitement and optimism about what would follow.
With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Westbrook all on one team, they would surely be in contention for a title.
Unfortunately, things haven’t panned out that way so far this season.
With the team struggling to find chemistry, the Lakers are just 16-18 overall, looking like they’ll be an early exit from the playoffs.
Following their fifth straight loss on Saturday (in which Russ shot 20% from the field), fans gathered to criticize the star guard for his disappointing play. On Twitter, analyst Kevin O’Connor went so far as to write that the Lakers need to find a way to trade him.
The Lakers should explore every possibility to trade Russell Westbrook. Russ will never win a championship with this aloof defense. Not to mention his reckless shot selection. And it’s been happening his whole career, even in big moments of playoff games. Russ will never change.
The Lakers should explore every possibility to trade Russell Westbrook. Russ will never win a championship with this aloof defense. Not to mention his reckless shot selection. And it's been happening his whole career, even in big moments of playoff games. Russ will never change. https://t.co/fxQLhPwr1X
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) December 26, 2021
It sounds like harsh criticism, but many people have taken note of Westbrook’s flaws. Right now, Lakers fans don’t necessarily trust him to help carry the team.
“I trust Russ zero and that’s when AD wasn’t playing like AD. If you go back and look at it, AD has not had a good season. AD has not played well with the exception of maybe two games, AD has not played the way AD was supposed to be playing. AD was supposed to be the No. 1 option. AD was supposed to be the leading scorer of this team, like he was his first year in L.A. AD hasn’t come close to that. But the last thing I want Russ is to do more. That’s the last thing. Do you want a guy that’s inefficient and turnover-prone doing more? I need Russ to do less,” said Shannon Sharpe.
With averages of 19.8 points, 8 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, Westbrook is clearly still capable of putting up big numbers.
Unfortunately, his shortcomings on defense and shooting the ball might be doing more harm.
While there are no plans to trade Russ at the moment, that could change if they continue to lose games like this over the next few weeks.
