Russell Westbrook was roped in by the LA Lakers to support the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, and Malik Monk. However, things haven’t gone to plan as Westbrook has failed to deliver the goods for the team. The 33-year old veteran has struggled with his shooting accuracy and has also not been up to the mark in keeping the turnovers in check.
Westbrook scored five points on 1-for-10 shooting with six assists and four turnovers in 29 minutes against New York Knicks in the previous game. In the fourth quarter, Westbrook scored zero points, missing his only field goal attempt and going 0-for-2 from the free-throw line. Thus, LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel decided to bench him for Overtime after noticing his fourth-quarter performance.
LA Lakers talisman LeBron James, who made a resounding comeback after a knee injury, scored 29 points to lead his team to the win. James has now put his weight behind struggling Russell Westbrook and said they are in this together.
“At the end of the day, as his brother, we’re all in this together,” James said after practice Monday. “We’re all in the foxhole together. There is not one guy who is doing it by themselves. There’s not one guy you can blame over another guy. There’s not one guy who gets the praise over another guy. When we lose, we all lose. When we win, we all win. It’s really that simple.”
Meanwhile, James has missed 17 games this season while Davis has missed 21. Westbrook on the other hand has played all of the Lakers’ matches. However, it has been a different season for the Lakers as there have been many obstacles.
”I haven’t been part of a season like this where injuries have played such a toll, but also protocols, false protocols, positive protocols, the head coach being out for multiple games,” James said. “So it’s just challenging, a weird sort of different season for all of us. And not just [for the] Lakers, but a lot of teams in the NBA. So it’s kind of impossible to gauge, I guess, previous encounters that you’ve had because it’s totally different.”
On the other hand, Frank Vogel revealed he had a discussion with Westbrook after benching him in Overtime in the last game against the Knicks.
“You still communicate afterward and there was that today,” Vogel said. “I’ve always taken pride with my teams in making sure I’m communicating with guys with whatever happens within a game. Obviously not every player every game, but if a certain thing requires a reach out or just a follow-up then we’ll have that.”
Lakers will face defending champions Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
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