One of the most popular trends in the NBA world last season was criticizing Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers.
From Skip Bayless to numerous commentators on ESPN, NBA TV, and Twitter, Westbrook was getting it from every side.
People were saying he was washed up and a waste of money and should be traded away as soon as possible.
Can’t believe Russell Westbrook was doing this just a year ago pic.twitter.com/gMOWnwIrU3
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) August 3, 2022
But if you look back just a season prior, you see that Westbrook still has a lot of talent – even if it wasn’t apparent during his first season with the Lakers.
Back when he was playing for the Washington Wizards, Westbrook was creating some tremendous triple-doubles again and again.
Not only did he become the all-time triple-double leader while playing in Washington, but he also had one night when he scored 14 points, 24 assists, and 21 rebounds, marking only the third time in league history that a player has notched 20 rebounds and assists in a game.
Will fans of the Lakers see this side of Westbrook again?
Westbrook On The West Coast
During his first season with the Lakers, Westbrook put up 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists.
When you dig into those numbers, you see a lot of inconsistency and an overall feeling that he just doesn’t fit with LA.
Sure enough, Westbrook playing alongside LeBron James isn’t really working.
They are such dominant ball handlers and both of them on the court together doesn’t create victories.
This doesn’t mean that Westbrook on the Lakers is a lost cause, he can still become an important part of the team but it will require him and head coach Darvin Ham to change things up and tweak his approach to the game.
His days of enormous triple-doubles may be over but he can still be a vital player for the Lakers.
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