Russell Westbrook tells the media that he notices just how many questions they ask him when he plays bad compared to when he plays well.
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Russell Westbrook on the Los Angeles Lakers hasn’t exactly brought out the best version of him. It’s become a well known fact that having Russ in a tertiary role is not the way to go to maximize his potential on a team that could contend for a championship. Yet, the Lakers continue to try to make the fit work.
Last night’s game against the New York Knicks in Crypto.com Arena saw the purple and gold bench Westbrook in all 5 minutes of the overtime period due to his poor play in regulation. Unlike the previous time Frank Vogel benched Russell Westbrook in segments of the game, the Lakers actually won the bout in OT.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Malik Monk combined for 86 points while Brodie put up 5 points on 10% shooting from the field.
This was clearly the worst game Russ has had in a Laker uniform but credit to him as he faced the media in his postgame presser following his performance.
Russell Westbrook calls out the media for their biased questions.
It’s no secret that media thrives off negativity in any space that it exists in. Russell Westbrook understands this and subsequently calls out the media reporters in last night’s postgame presser, saying:
“When I play bad, you guys ask me a sh*t ton of questions. And then when I shoot the ball well, I don’t hear too many of those questions.”
Russell Westbrook spoke after being benched in OT vs. the Knicks: pic.twitter.com/W0bb9zi9MR
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 6, 2022
While this is true and it certainly looks like the reporters are trying to a push an agenda here, the simple fact of the matter is that being fascinated by mediocrity over greatness is how many people are wired unfortunately.
It’s clear that Russell Westbrook is in it for the long haul with the Los Angeles Lakers this ‘22 NBA season and will not be traded before Feb 10th. It was reported earlier in the season that there was no plan B for the purple and gold.