Maybe Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers was just having a bad night on Wednesday.
In the middle of a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Westbrook was spotted not joining his team during a huddle in the third quarter.
That had many people talking and wondering if the team wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with its star player.
Others said it was just a moment taken out of context.
Anyone thinks this is awkward as well? Russ doesn't join the pre-game team huddle and seems to be just by himself.
Clip from Michael Morales/Instagram https://t.co/kaPZacrqRb pic.twitter.com/kqNfGEBUGW
— Nicole Ganglani (@nicoleganglani) October 13, 2022
However, more footage from before the game shows Westbrook also away from the rest of his team, preparing by himself while the rest of his squad huddled up towards the middle of the court.
Together, these clips from the game are showing a Westbrook who doesn’t seem tuned into the rest of his team and doesn’t seem a bit interested in changing that.
Does this suggest that the 2022-23 season will be very rough for the Lakers?
Westbrook On His Own
If the team is going to succeed, it’ll need Westbrook to be a part of the group and playing to the best of his abilities.
That simply wasn’t the case last season, with the former MVP looking out of sorts and not in unison with the rest of his squad.
Based on the video evidence from Wednesday, it appears as if Westbrook is not emotionally present with the rest of his squad – how can a team win if that’s the case?
The team already had a lot going against it (a stacked Western Conference, a tendency for injuries, a new coach and young players) so the last thing it needs is Westbrook not in a good mood.
Expect many people to pay close attention to Westbrook’s body language when the new season kicks off next week.
NEXT: Viral Clip Shows Russell Westbrook Avoiding His Teammates