Los Angeles Lakers newbie Russell Westbrook didn't mince any words during his end-of-season press conference on Monday, as he called his relationship with recently-fired coach Frank Vogel "unfortunate," and explained that he felt pressured to constantly prove himself throughout the team's abysmal season. The veteran guard also claimed that he was "never given a fair chance" to play his brand of basketball.
Suffice to say, Westbrook's first season with the Lakers was an abject failure. As the team's highest-paid player, he averaged 18.5 points -- his lowest mark since his second NBA season in 2009-2010 -- and his poor shooting metrics prompted disgruntled Lakers fans to nickname him "Westbrick." The 33-year-old was a shell of his former MVP-caliber self, and the lack of accountability shown on Monday makes his future with the franchise even more ominous.
"He's the least self-aware player in the league right now. And he doesn't take accountability for how he can impact winning," NBA on TNT sideline reporter Jared Greenberg told The DA Show on Wednesday. "It's only what his vision is for what he thinks is best for him. Often times, it results in really lofty and cool and sexy stats. But it's never equated to team success at a high or consistent level. The stories you hear about Westbrook, it's not flattering for a guy...
"He continues to, on the court, not be aware of time and situation. And not be aware of ways to exploit weaknesses in teams. He plays one way, at 100-mph, which people want to praise him and laud him for all that effort and hustle. But a lot of it comes off as just trying to help himself. Sometimes you have to take it into a lower gear to actually be better... He's got to own up to some of it, for a guy making $50 million a year."
In a season that began with championship promise, the Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention last Tuesday, in a road loss to the Suns at Footprint Center. Besieged by injuries to key players and inconsistent play on both ends of the court, Los Angeles finished the campaign in 11th place, with a 33-49 record. According to ESPN Stats, this was the first LeBron James-led squad that ever played 15-plus games below the .500 mark.
At this time, it's unclear whether Westbrook will be wearing yellow and purple next season. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka recently told reporters that they'll "look under every stone" to improve the roster, and he didn't commit to a second season with the star trio of Westbrook, James, and Anthony Davis. Westbrook has a $47 million player option for 2022-23, and considering how he performed this past year, it'd certainly behoove him to exercise it.
The entire NBA conversation between Greenberg and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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