The version of Russell Westbrook we all got to see in the 2021-22 NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers was disappointing, to say the least
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Russell Westbrook was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on the 6th of August, 2021. It was the third time in his career that he was traded and it was his fourth team in three years.
There were mixed reactions to the trade. A lot of people felt that this was a disaster considering Westbrook’s age, his contract, and his ability to mess things up on the offensive end of the floor.
There was also optimism that he would gel well with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the new ‘Big 3’ in LA would deliver another championship to the franchise. However, things went south pretty quickly.
Fans were left frustrated with Westbrook’s play who often turned the ball over, missed wide-open layups, made easy passes look difficult, and bricked jump shots that he would once upon a time make with ease.
.@ShannonSharpe on Westbrook saying he was never given a fair chance:
“Have you ever seen a more delusional athlete in your life than Russell Westbrook? Russ never had an issue with any other coaches because they didn’t hold you accountable for your terrible play.” pic.twitter.com/8DS0wmSRes
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) April 12, 2022
It made a lot of them wonder, where is the Russell Westbrook who won the MVP award with the Oklahoma City Thunder? Where is that monster of a player that dropped a triple-double on every team in the league with ease?
Russell Westbrook was one of the best players in the league during his years with the OKC Thunder
There is no denying Russell Westbrook’s greatness. He won the NBA MVP Award in 2017 and the NBA scoring title in 2015 and 2017.
He is also the only player in NBA league history to average a triple-double for three consecutive seasons and currently holds the record for the most triple-doubles in league history at 194.
OKC Russell Westbrook was monster 😤 The most explosive PG in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/aeVIcagTCz
— Real Talk 🏀 (@Real7Talk) April 15, 2022
He had one lone trip to the NBA Finals with a team that had Kevin Durant and James Harden but unfortunately wasn’t able to win it all.
It’s hard to point out what really went wrong with Westbrook this year. Was it the pressure of playing in LA or playing with LeBron James? Was it simply a decline in production due to the age factor?
Or was it his issues with coach Frank Vogel? Only Westbrook has the answer to all these questions.
