NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal believes Russell Westbrook’s passive outlook was the reason behind his disappointing debut with the LA Lakers.
Advertisement
One of the greatest to don the purple and gold, Shaquille O’Neal, played 8-years in LA, having 4 Finals appearances, which included a 3-peat. The Big Diesel was the Finals MVP each time, establishing himself as one of the most dominant players in league history.
Thus Shaq is aware of the challenges and pressures when playing for an iconic franchise like the Lakers. During a recent interview with Dime Magazine, when asked about the reason for Russell Westbrook’s poor showing last season, The Diesel cited the former MVP adopting a different style of play.
While many had polarizing views over Westbrook joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis in LA, nobody expected the outcome to be so disheartening. From the beginning, Russ looked out of place, unable to find a footing on the roster, leading to him being the poster boy for hate and trolls.
Contrary to the popular opinion of Russ not altering his game, Shaq believed the former OKC superstar should have stuck to his natural style of play.
Shaquille O’Neal feels Russell Westbrook showed too much respect to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
In his debut with the Lakers, Westbrook averaged 18.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 7.1 APG. Though these aren’t poor numbers, the two-time scoring champ’s 3.8 TPG and 29.8% shooting from the 3-point line made him the overnight villain. It was evident Mr. Triple-Double was trying to change his game.
Thus when asked about his struggles, O’Neal didn’t hesitate to drop the truth bomb. The four-time champion called out Russ for being too nice and not playing freely.
“I don’t think it was his age. I think he was just, and I say this respectfully, I just think he was showing too much respect. I don’t care who I’m playing with it, I’m giving you 28. Fans pay a lot of money for me to make $100 million, I’m giving you 28. It’s not, ‘Every time I get the ball, look for the other stars.’ He can play, too, so when I got the ball, I’m gonna do my thing. I can’t do my thing, I’m looking for him. That’s how you got to play. You just can’t concede all the time. Nah, throw me the ball, let me go to work. I gotta average 28 and 15 for personals reason and for these fans.”
Shaq continued,
“He was just being too nice. I don’t know the relationship between him and LeBron, but if you put that down on paper and I don’t know nothing about basketball, that’s a hell of a backcourt, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James. Why it didn’t work, I don’t know, but watching him play, he was super passive. I don’t need you to be passive, I need you to play your game. I’ll be calling plays, when you get the ball after they miss a shot, run, if you ain’t got nothin, pull it out, give it to LeBron, and call some plays. That’s how it was me, he was just thinking too much. He’s a guy that, when he plays freely, he’s a monster.”
Gearing up for his second season with the Lakers, Westbrook is looking to change the narrative. Recently hired head coach Darwin Ham is looking to use the nine-time All-Star on both ends of the floor. Thus Lakers Nation is hopeful to see Mr. Triple-Double in his element.
