LA Lakers had signed Russell Westbrook during the off-season so that he could support the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. There were a lot of expectations from the veteran but he hasn’t been able to stand tall to the challenges. Westbrook had a poor game against Brooklyn Nets on Saturday as he scored 13 points on 4-for-20 shooting, which included 11 missed shots in the restricted area, according to ESPN Stats.
The experienced player is averaging 19.8 points, 8.1 assists per game, and 7.9 rebounds per game. Furthermore, he is scoring 4.6 turnovers, which is the second-worst in the league behind James Harden, who is scoring 5 turnovers.
Westbrook has played 34 matches for LA Lakers in his maiden season for the team but he has failed to create an impact. However, the 33-year old feels he is doing fine for his team despite his regular criticism.
“Honestly, I think I’ve been fine,” Westbrook said. “The conversation has been heavily on how I’m playing and what I’m doing, but I think people are expecting me to have f—ing 25, 15, and 15, which, that is not normal. Everybody has to understand, like, that’s not a normal thing that people do consistently.”
Westbrook added he doesn’t want to put extra pressure on himself and wants to give himself the best chance to succeed in the upcoming matches.
“People are saying ‘let Russ be Russ,’ I think nobody understands what that means,” Westbrook continued. “I think people just say it — ‘let Russ be Russ’ — but nobody actually knows what that means but myself. And I’m gonna lean on that and make sure I do what I’m supposed to do. And let everything else outside the locker room, whatever that may be, take care of itself.”
On the other hand, LA Lakers acting head coach David Fizdale feels it is not easy to bounce back after losing five matches on the trot and believes it is imperative they respond in a positive manner.
“When you lose five in a row, it’s misery,” Fizdale said after practice. “You’re not happy. But there’s two types of ways you can respond to this. Right? And that’s the only thing we can control, is our response to a five-game losing streak. We can either bitch, moan, complain, point fingers, deflect, or we can get in the gym and work together and get in the film sessions and have raw conversations and talk about what we need to do to get better and improve.”
LA Lakers will next face Houston Rockets on Tuesday and they would aim to get back to winning ways.
