Russell Westbrook has played 42 games with the Los Angeles Lakers. It's gone about as expected.
Of course, with Russ, “expected” means: a rocky ride of varying emotions, confounding moments, and mixed results.
“We have 42 games (completed) now and 40 left,” LeBron James said. “It's definitely been a roller coaster.”
However you want to define Westbrook's stint in L.A. thus far, there is one certainty: meager progress has been made. Westbrook's 42nd performance was perhaps his worst since his first.
Russ shot 2-of-14 in the Lakers' discouraging loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. He scored eight points — his third straight outing in single figures.
Russell Westbrook has scored in single-digits in each of the Lakers' past 3 games. The last time that happened to Russ was almost exactly 12 years ago, in January 2010.https://t.co/xMSvmKps0k
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 13, 2022
In the Year 2022, Westbrook is averaging 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 29.3% shooting and 0% from three-point range. He's missed 32 of his past 40 field-goal attempts.
“I can't make a f*cking shot,” he uttered in his post-game remarks. The Kings' DJ played snippets of “Cold as Ice” and “Ice Ice Baby” after nearly every miss. Russ called it “cute”.
the Sacramento Kings played “Cold As Ice” every time Russell Westbrook missed a shot last night.
when asked after the game about it, he said “that’s funny, i hope they played that the last 14 years too.”
the reel + his comments: pic.twitter.com/mxf3ml0deT
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 13, 2022
The Kings Arena is too savage for this 😭
Russ finished the game going 2-14 from the floor and 0-5 from 3-PT pic.twitter.com/Nx8hCC6xAF
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) January 13, 2022
“The word ‘slump' isn't something I lean on,” Westbrook said. “I stay locked into my craft, figure it out. I'm just in a position to try to figure out the best way to play at the moment. It's as simple as that … Figure out ways to just make a f—ing shot.” Frank Vogel and LeBron did use the word “slump” to describe Westbrook's struggles.
Semantics aside, the Lakers have yet to “figure it out.” They sit at 21-21 after spoiling a four-game winning streak with losses to the Memphis Grizzlies and Kings. They have five wins against winning teams, and their schedule will soon become a gauntlet.
Lakers (21-21) have 5 Ws against teams over .500 (as of this tweet): MEM & CLE early, CHA (OT), MIA (OT, w/out Jimmy for 2H), DAL (OT, w/out Luka).
In the next month, they play:
DEN (road)
UTA (2x)
MIA (road)
BK (road)
PHI (road)
CHA (road)
LAC
MIL
GS (road)We'll learn a lot.
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 14, 2022
LeBron is playing spectacular hoops and reinforcements will arrive soon (Anthony Davis, Kendrick Nunn). But, the Lakers are lightyears away from contender status, which, ultimately, is all that matters as long as James is wearing purple and gold. To this point, the Russell Westbrook gamble hasn't paid off.
LeBron, who orchestrated the Westbrook acquisition, continues to support Russ publicly. After Wednesday's loss, though, in which the guard took numerous crippling shots in key moments, LeBron was somber and unspecific when discussing his teammate.
“Just keep working with him,” he said. “Obviously, he's been putting in work, and you're going trust the work you put into it so, he's getting some really good looks, it's just not going down for him.”
Let's dive in a bit more on Westbrook at the halfway point.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1TPm3OFftbac33PA5zzf8R?si=de3b4204fa8f4ded
The Good
Until the calendar turned, Westbrook had not been as horrid as Twitter would lead a casual fan to believe. From Oct. 26 through New Year's Eve, he averaged 20.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.4 assists on 46.3% shooting and was hitting a solid percentage of open corner triples. The Lakers rank third in pace and fourth in fast-break points, for which he deserves partial credit. He gets his hands on loose balls, pulls down impressive boards, and creates bountiful shot opportunities via paint attacks. His crunch-time stats were better than head-scratching clips would indicate.
Lineups with him, LeBron, and Davis (who have played only 15 games together) have a 3.7 net rating, and the bulk of those minutes include DeAndre Jordan, who has since been banished from the rotation as the Lakers commit to small-ball. The numbers with Russ on the floor and LeBron at center have been encouraging. Notably, he's the only Laker not to miss a game.
You've seen the meme. As my Lakers Multiverse co-host Cooper Halpern broke down, Westbrook historically improves as a season wears on. For instance, as a micro-center for the 2019-20 Houston Rockets, Russ averaged 32.2 points on 53.1% shooting, plus 8.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists for a two-month window over the winter. On the other hand, he drew a stark contrast between those Rockets and these Lakers.
“It’s not the same: different players, different personnel, different system,” Russ noted. “A lot of things were different. It’s not the same. It’s small ball, but it’s nothing that’s the same about it from when I did it in Houston and kind of what I’m doing now.”
In strictly on-court terms, the Lakers' defense is a larger issue than Russ — though Westbrook doesn't exactly help the cause — and AD's return will naturally improve that. Plus, the West is laughably top-heavy.
The Bad
The Lakers' downsizing — which began before AD got hurt, and is overall smart — has thrown another wrinkle into their unresolved attempts to incorporate one of the least malleable players in modern NBA history.
Westbrook has done plenty of things well as the floor opens up with LeBron at center. But look at his numbers (against friendly competition):
- 1/2 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: 20 points, 7-of-16 FG, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 9 turnovers
- 1/4 vs. Kings: 19 points, 7-of-19 FG, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 0 turnovers
- 1/7 vs. Atlanta Hawks: 9 points, 4-of-14 FG, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, 3 turnovers
- 1/9 vs. Grizzlies: 6 points, 2-of-12 FG, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 0 turnovers
- 1/12 vs. Kings: 8 points, 2-of-14 FG, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover
Not all bad, just all over the place. The eye test backs it up. He just looks…lost; unsure where to stand, when to attack, cut, run point or cede duties to LeBron. There isn't any conviction nor rhythm to his game. His turnovers are down — 2.6 per game in January — but that's more reflective of tentativeness and uncertainty rather than striking an ideal balance between discipline and aggression.
Broadly speaking, the Lakers' most damaging drawback has been inconsistency — on the injury report, with their lineups/rotations, style of play, even the coaching staff. Westbrook has exacerbated that issue. The Lakers don't know what they're going to get out of him on any given possession — when he's going to barrel into the lane or settle for an early-short- clock pull-up, move without the ball or stand in the corner.
“It’s probably all over the place because my job changes every night, ” Russ said. “Sometimes I’m in the dunker spot … Sometimes I have the ball in my hands, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’m the screener. Sometimes I’m cutting. I mean, it’s probably difficult for them to know how I am able to play.”
Probably not what you want to hear four months into an expensive partnership.
The Ugly
Westbrook is amidst his worst stretch in over a decade. So that's not good.
His mistakes are baffling and glaring — from shots off the top of the backboard to ill-advised late-game bricks. He's 9-of-16 on dunk attempts, and his persistent shortcomings around the cup have offered a convenient showcase for his athletic diminishment.
No NBA player should have this many bad misses pic.twitter.com/MbIxFUFEb6
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) January 11, 2022
Anecdotally, as someone at every home game and on #LakersTwitter 24/7, the ugliest part of all of this has been how quickly and forcefully Lakers fans have turned on the native Angeleno. That doesn't they're rooting for him to fail — quite the contrary — but the increase of vitriol and hopelessness towards Russ has been jarring.
Westbrook's stubbornly defensive and forlorn media appearances don't help (with the exception of Wednesday, when he was surprisingly talkative and self-critical). Last month, for instance, he regrettably said he was “allowed” to miss shots and commit turnovers.
Russell Westbrook said he's "allowed" to commit turnovers and miss shots, as they are simply parts of the game. He pushed back on the idea that he was struggling prior to the 4th quarter.
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 3, 2022
“I think people are expecting me to have f*cking 25, 15, and 15 … that is not normal,” he also said. “Everyone has to understand that that's not like a normal thing that people do consistently. I know that I've done it for the past five years or so, or whatever that may be, but that's not like a normal thing.”
These comments were as off-the-mark as his jumper, and, predictably, poorly received. The Lakers and their fans want to see Russ do the opposite: improve around the edges — move without the ball, stay focused on defense, make intelligent decisions, etc.
just look at russel westbrook on this play. u guarding patty mills pic.twitter.com/eDn2vL8lkf
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) December 26, 2021
The front office is as much to blame for all of this as Russ. After all, Westbrook is trying to play well. The Lakers placed an unnecessarily risky bet acquiring a declining, unadaptable, ball-dominant 33-year old owed $91 million over the next two seasons, at the cost of multiple championship-proven, young(ish), under-contract supporting pieces, plus Alex Caruso (who could have easily been re-signed). Unless they want to salary dump him (addition by subtraction?) or a rival owner has an irrational lapse in judgment (Vivek?), Los Angeles will be stuck with him.
Lastly, the Lakers acquired Russ to spell LeBron and eat innings throughout the regular season, not to win playoff games — they proved they can do that with a healthy LeBron, AD, and auxiliary parts. Well, they're more than halfway through the season, LeBron is carrying his heaviest load in years, and it's not producing Ws.
“My confidence never wavers, regardless of scrutiny, regardless of what is said,” Westbrook stated. “That’s been my whole career. Doesn’t matter. Every year, it’s always a conversation of if and what and how and when. And we have the group here that’s able to do it. Once we kinda all get together and put some stretches of games together, staying healthy, we’re able to kind of see what we’re really able to do as we move the season along. We’re at the halfway point now. As we get to the playoffs, I believe we can do something special.”
Technically, he's right. They still have time to solve the puzzle. But the clock is ticking, and the pressure is mounting.
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