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Russell Westbrook's homecoming with the Los Angeles Lakers felt like it was made for Hollywood. If that really were the case, then his lackluster start aligns perfectly with the moment when the main character starts to hit his initial bumps in the road.
With LeBron James out and Anthony Davis exiting early against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, the newest Lakers star just had his worst game of the season, and perhaps of his entire career. Westbrook posted just eight points on a brutal 1-for-13 shooting clip from the field, with nine rebounds, six assists, and six turnovers, in game they trailed by as many as 34 points.
Asked about feeling any additional pressure since joining the Lakers during the postgame presser, Russell Westbrook was quick to dismiss the idea.
Via Harrison Faigen:
“No, I don't put pressure on myself to do anything,” assured the Lakers guard. “I'm very elite at what I do, and I believe that every single night. And that's how I have to play. There is no extra pressure of any sort for me. Like I said, I've been doing this every year. It's not a new thing. So when I figure it out then I'll be in a better position. But right now, so many things are happening; lineup changes, so many different people in and out.”
The Lakers roster and rotations indeed feel like they're permanently in flux. Injuries have hit nearly half of the roster so far and wiped out some of the team's depth even before the season started. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis have dealt with two separate issues already and it's only been 10 games thus far.
Russell Westbrook has been one of the lone Lakers constants so far, but it's the instability around him that makes it extremely hard to get into a rhythm with an entirely new team, his third in the last three seasons.
The Brodie was adamant that there isn't any pressure affecting his play. But he admitted that the Lakers' lack of on-court success most expected of them is taking a toll on how he approaches the games.
“The way we're playing, we're not winning, which is primarily the reason I feel like I need to do something better for our team when we don't win,” Westbrook continued. “That's just how I am as a player, so losing definitely doesn't help anything. When we win, then shoot, I don't care what happens. But when we lose, me personally, I always take ownership of my play because if I'm not playing the best way that I can play, then I feel like it's on me to play better to give us a better chance of winning ball games.”
You can never fault Russell Westbrook for lack of effort. Oftentimes, it's his eagerness to make an impact that becomes detrimental to his own success. The disjointed environment and revolving door of injured Lakers players doesn't make it any easier for him, either.
Many of the criticisms against Russell Westbrook so far this season hold at least some truth. But given how things have shaken out thus far, it's hard to put the burden completely on him as the Lakers continue to regroup around him.
