Westbrook George Make Oklahoma Great Again Shirt
The brawl yo-yoed from Russell Westbrook's correct hand to his left every bit Marcus Morris began what has been an increasingly piece of cake assignment.
It was his job to cease him.
This time, Westbrook scooted past the Clippers' veteran fly and slid underneath his arm for a slicing layup — for the Lakers, a rare occasion where Westbrook looked more similar the player they thought they were trading for than the ane that they ended up getting.
Now with but xx games left, the Lakers are faced with something that probably has been true since his first day in Los Angeles. Not hurting the Lakers isn't going to cutting it; they need him to assist them win.
It's a truth painfully exacerbated with Anthony Davis sidelined, the Lakers' star big human again on the bench with a protective boot on his sprained right pes. It'due south plastered in big, bolded letters whenever the Lakers await helpless on the court, LeBron James seemingly left to drag this team on his own.
It's articulate he tin can't exercise information technology. The Lakers haven't been able to find the function players to make life easier.
And so, they wait. For Westbrook.
In the Lakers' 3 losses before Thursday's 132-111 throttling, Westbrook made simply 35.8% of his shots and none his 3-pointers. Defenses take pulled so far back into the paint that if they sagged whatsoever more, they'd be in the seats.
He had seven turnovers in a loss to the Pelicans, and 12 missed shots in losses to the Clippers out of the All-Star intermission and to the Mavericks earlier this week.
He had 17 points, 8 rebounds and iii assists Th, a fine offensive performance but one that paled in comparing to Reggie Jackson's electrical 36-point game.
Westbrook hasn't actually flirted with that level of production all season.
His final xx-point game came on Jan. xxx and he has scored 30 or more only iv times this season. And his and the Lakers' disability to space the floor with him on it has afflicted his playmaking. Since the showtime of 2022, he's averaging only 5.7 assists, the passing lanes clogged because of the team's deficiencies.
Things have been then bad, that postgame Frank Vogel said the coaching staff has discussed bringing Westbrook off the demote — an option that certainly falls nether the "we've talked most everything," umbrella Vogel opened twice when asked directly most information technology.
For the NBA'south triple-double king, production is merely down all over the board. Since Jan. 1, he has only 3 games with 10 assists and only five with at to the lowest degree 10 rebounds.
Westbrook's fabricated a familiar claim Thursday, that his frequent role changes take been the source of his struggles.
"My role and what I'm doing has changed every single night, so I'grand just trying to figure that out as I'm playing and to be able to do good and help my squad," Westbrook said. "But my expectations are still the same. I'k not a quitter. It'southward not in my genes. I don't quit, regardless of what the hell is going on. I'm going to fight to the terminate and if information technology don't piece of work, that'due south cool, too. I can live with the results. Just I'm never going to surrender or give in because of a petty struggle that'south happening this time of the year."
Afterwards the team's loss Tuesday, Westbrook was more than expressive with his frustration than usual. Typically projecting at-home regardless of the circumstances — triple-double or turnover trouble — he stared at the stat sheet and mumbled to himself in between terse answers. He besides pounded his fist against the table.
"One, we lost," he said Tuesday when asked about his reactions. "No. 2 is looking how I need to exist ameliorate. That's it."
The two are intertwined, no doubtfulness. The Lakers are 21-6 this season when the squad wins the minutes Westbrook is on the flooring, and 6-28 when he'south a negative in plus/minus rating every bit he was Thursday.
That detail stat might've been a little misleading against the Clippers on Thursday, Westbrook one of five players on the floor during the Clippers' 23-0 run in the third quarter. (In the first half, the Lakers won Westbrook's minutes by 12 points).
And while the game was still competitive, he did some of the things the Lakers need to accept if they want to hang on to one of the final spots in the NBA's postseason play-in tournament — a fate they loathed a twelvemonth ago and 1 they're left clinging to this jump.
He sprinted downwards the heart of the court and challenged Ivica Zubac at the rim, powering through him, scoring and drawing a foul, punctuating the handbasket past rolling his shoulders up and forward every bit he smiled at the Clippers' middle.
Westbrook also howled at the fans after slamming home a lob from Austin Reaves, a rare above-the-rim highlight.
The loss wasn't on him — they all haven't been. But the issues the roster took on by acquiring him — the trade that sent out competent defenders Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma, the cap constraints that aided Alex Caruso's departure, etc. — are a battle the Lakers lose nearly every night.
As the crowd chanted Jackson's name in the quaternary quarter and the veteran got past the Lakers' defence force and skipped on the floor in celebration, none of Westbrook'south positives mattered. They weren't even close, with Jackson, a player making one-quaternary the bacon this season every bit Westbrook, exiting to a standing ovation.
Jackson near added to the lowlight reel, a wicked crossover dribble forcing Westbrook to swing his human foot as a final line of defense saving what surely would've been another viral moment.
Westbrook was on the positive side of OK on Th, a welcome modify in a season where he has not been that plenty. But the Lakers don't need skillful. They demand not bad, especially now.
And Westbrook and the Lakers are running out of fourth dimension to get information technology.
As he walked into the postgame news conference Thursday in a red leather shirt and matching pants, Westbrook looked down at the stat canvas again — this time his word coming through plenty articulate.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/time-running-lakers-russell-westbrook-071335004.html
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