To say that Russell Westbrook's first season with the Los Angeles Lakers was disappointing would be a complete understatement. It is clear that Russ just couldn't fit in with the system, and that for the most part, he just looked lost playing alongside the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Apparently, this had a lot to do with Westbrook's unwillingness to take on the role his team needed him to fulfill. It's no secret that Russ didn't get along with ex-Lakers coach Frank Vogel, and their inability to co-exist may have been one of the reasons behind the latter's firing. However, there's no denying that Westbrook also played his role in their unproductive partnership.
As a matter of fact, NBA insider Briand Windhorst recently revealed on his podcast how desperate the Lakers were in trying to convince the former league MVP to be more of a team player. So much so, that they went to great lengths just to try and make Westbrook realize that this was the best approach not only for the team but for him as well (h/t RealGM.com):
“I was talking to somebody who was with the Lakers last season and they were saying that if there's a person in the organization that Russ could listen to, they tried to talk to him,” said Windhorst.
“From what I'm told, just everybody there who Russ would allow an audience for [talked to him].”
Unfortunately, things still didn't work out. Whether or not Westbrook decided to heed the advice that was pretty much shoved up his throat is unclear. However, based on what we saw from him last season, what we can say with little doubt is that this just wasn't the Russell Westbrook the Lakers wanted to see when they traded for him last summer. It's also very much possible that this is one of the biggest reasons behind the Lakers' rumored desire to trade Westbrook this summer.
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