Russell Westbrook did not have a great time with the Lakers, especially in the current season. He was part of the Oklahoma City Thunder for a long time. Westbrook gained fame and success with the OKC Thunder. After leaving the Thunder in 2019, he had been with the Rockets and the Wizards for a year each. Later, Russell Westbrook joined Los Angeles Lakers in 2021. It was clear that Russell was not the same player he was ten years ago.
Generally, Russell Westbrook would always be part of the starting lineup. But with the Lakers, he dropped to the bench. As a result, Westbrook would get much less time after coming off the bench. However, since the first season for the Lakers, Russell has not been contributing enough. The fans and the experts had not been easy on Westbrook either. They have not let go of a chance to criticize him. The main complaint regarding Russell Westbrook was that he was not scoring that well. However, initially, it did not get better after joining the Clippers either.
Russell Westbrook Was Happy To Leave The Lakers
After all the criticism Russell endured, it was time for the Lakers’ front office to let him go. The Lakers needed some drastic change on their roster. Finally, in February, the LA Lakers managed to strike up a deal with two teams, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Utah Jazz. They got to sign in some quality players and trade Russell Westbrook in exchange. At first, Russell got traded to the Jazz. Later, he signed with the Clippers. Finally, Russell Westbrook managed to stay in Los Angeles. Now, while playing for the city rivals, Westbrook talked about his reaction when he was traded from the Lakers.
Russell Westbrook mentioned after Game 5 against the Suns, “The immediate reaction after I was traded from the Lakers was like I’m in a better place now.” Perhaps Russell’s ball-dominant style collided with that of LeBron’s in the Lakers. However, Westbrook had been a better passer for the Lakers than a scorer. Even Charles Barkley, an NBA analyst on TNT, felt that the Lakers fans had been too harsh on Russell Westbrook for his lack of scoring. Barkley feels Westbrook is a hard worker, and he was passing pretty well for the Lakers. However, the Lakers’ days for Russell are in the past.
Westbrook Improved While Playing For The City Rivals
At present, the nine-time All-Star tried his best to help the Clippers overcome the challenge of the Suns. In the playoff series against the Suns, Russell’s scoring had improved. Albeit, the Suns had a thumping series victory over the Clippers, with 4-1 being the final result. Despite the series loss, Russell Westbrook showed vast improvement.
As he was averaging 23.6 ppg, 7.6 RPG, 7.4 APG,1.4, and 1.2 blocks and steals, respectively. However, his best game in the series came in Game 4, where he scored 37 points along with six rebounds and four assists. Well, the season for the Clippers seems to be over. Now the question is how long Westbrook plans to stay with the Clippers.
