Russell Westbrook has yet to find his footing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Even as the purple-and-gold fall further down the standings amid his sustained personal struggles, though, the nine-time All-Star remains committed to the Lakers' ultimate goal.
In his first extended media appearance since being benched by Frank Vogel down the stretch of Los Angeles' home loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, Westbrook expressed a willingness to do whatever it takes to help his new team win.
“Ultimately, you have to be OK when s— doesn't go well, and I'm OK,” he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. “I've done everything that's been asked of me here, and I'll continue to do so and ride this out as long as we can toward our ultimate goal — and that's to win a championship.”
Westbrook was yanked from the Lakers' latest loss with 3:52 left, replaced in the lineup by Malik Monk. He'd previously re-entered with 8:15 on the clock and Indiana leading by one. Los Angeles was down 101-94 when Westbrook went back to the bench, an indictment of his defensive foibles and inability to produce efficient offense.
“I was disappointed I didn't go back in, but I'm more disappointed that we lost the damn game,” Westbrook said. “I want to be able to be on the floor to help my teammates and be able to help our team win in games like that — but that was a decision that was made.”
The former league MVP is averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game this season, shooting 43.3% overall and 30.4% from beyond the arc. Among players league-wide with a usage rate of 27.0 or higher, Westbrook's 50.7 true shooting percentage ranks last in the NBA, per Stathead Basketball.
“I have accepted everything that has been asked of me and tried to do it to the best of my ability,” he said. “I'm not the ultimate decision-maker of if it's working — or if it's not working. I'm OK with sacrificing some of the things that I've been able to do in this game to win, because that's the most important part of this game. I've done everything they've asked me to do to this point.”
Los Angeles, 22-23, is currently eighth in the Western Conference. The Lakers begin a six-game road trip on Friday against the Orlando Magic.
“I think it's important to know that part of the process of being on a new team is that there are going to be a lot of ups and downs and struggles throughout a season,” Westbrook said.
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