“Some of y’all still think Russell Westbrook should come off the bench?”: Kendrick Perkins slams critiques when Lakers superstar came back to form against the Spurs

Akash Murty | 30/10/2021
"Some of y’all still think Russell Westbrook should come off the bench?": Kendrick Perkins slams critiques when Lakers superstar came back to form against the Spurs

Russell Westbrook ever since his debut with the Lakers has been under constant scrutiny. There are suggestions that he should be coming off the bench.

Since the overhaul of the Lakers team, there have been questions about the team’s chemistry, Russell Westbrook’s role, Anthony Davis’ position, team’s age, and so on.

Lakers didn’t answer those questions very well on the court. They started their campaign with 2 straight losses following a horrific pre-season where they lost all 5 of their matches. Russell Westbrook didn’t look like his normal self in any of those matches, not even in their 1st win of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Westbrook averaged 12 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2 assists in the first three regular season games, and was shooting 34 percent from the field, including 1-for-11 from the perimeter and 41 percent from the free-throw line.

Also read: “It’s a long season, and I’m constantly getting better”: Russell Westbrook sends a stern warning to those scrutinizing him for his recent performances

So sports experts and fans started thinking whether the 9-time All-Star should come off the bench, forgetting this guy was averaging over 22, 11, and 11 just last year.

Kendrick Perkins is angry towards the disrespect Westbrook is getting

Westbrook was looking so passive in his first few games with his new team that many people in the media, including us, thought would it be better if the 2017 MVP played more with the Lakers’ second unit than the first?

But with LeBron James sidelined due to an injury scare in the Grizzlies game, Westbrook took over the game against Spurs last night. He posted 33 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists in a close overtime win to even out the Lakers win-loss column.

And so LeBron’s former teammate and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins thought everyone was wrong in making judgment so early,

Since Big Perk’s take, Westbrook’s form was split against two very young teams. First one in a loss against his former team Oklahoma City Thunder, he shot 20 times to score 20. And a rather efficient one yesterday against the Cleveland Cavaliers where he shot 8/13 to score 19.

Also read: “Russell Westbrook has gotten his dream! Without LeBron James, the Lakers are HIS team!!”: Skip Bayless praises Brodie for stepping up, while critiquing the King for his absence

With a 3-3 start to the season, it would be interesting to see how Frank Vogel will manage 4 of the NBA’s top-75 players of all time, with one of them already adjusted to a bench role and another scrutinized by the experts to differ to play a secondary role to LeBron and AD.

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Kendrick Perkins L.A Lakers Russell Westbrook

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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