If there’s one thing Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers has been consistent about this season it’s being inconsistent.
During the last four games, Westbrook has shot 25.4 percent and has been an impressive zero percent from the three-point line for the last six games.
On Wednesday night, Westbrook scored eight points, 12 rebounds, and six assists and had a field goal percentage of just 14 percent.
Westbrook isn’t doing well again and it’s sadly not very surprising.
Tale As Old As Time
This isn’t the first time we have talked about Westbrook having issues with the Lakers.
Since he was first signed, he has experienced troubles with turnovers, bad shot selection, terrible defense, and more.
While his turnover rate has greatly improved, he is still wildly inconsistent with the other stats.
There are times when Westbrook is performing brilliantly, achieving triple-doubles every night, and fitting into his new role on the team.
Then there are nights like we’ve seen lately where Westbrook can’t hit the broad side of a barn, seemingly stuck in a rut he can’t break out of.
To his credit, Westbrook knows it’s his fault and is aware he isn’t performing well.
Russell Westbrook (2/14 FG) after loss to the Kings:
"I got no excuses. I don't point fingers. I always look at myself & figure out ways to become better but one thing I never do is panic. I never lack confidence in myself & what I'm capable of doing."pic.twitter.com/lCsSeiysBF
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 13, 2022
But how is he going to fix this situation?
Many people were optimistic that Westbrook had gotten a hold of his game and was righting his wrongs and headed in a positive direction.
Yet, now he’s performing worse than he has all season and it’s coming at truly terrible time.
The Lakers are about to go toe-to-toe with the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers in the days ahead.
They can’t pull out a victory against any of those teams if Westbrook is still playing like this.
Can It Be Fixed?
The Lakers have had a very rough season so far and there is only one player who has appeared in every single game: Westbrook.
It’s hard to ignore the claims that he’s the weakest link on the team.
This isn’t entirely his fault since LA hasn’t delivered on its promise of making him a part of a solid, reliable big three.
The other two parts of this proposed unit – LeBron James and Anthony Davis – have missed a lot of time due to injuries; the big three hasn’t had a chance to work together a lot and find a rhythm that works.
Yet, Westbrook has had a lot of time to adjust to what the team lacks – and he’s shown signs that he can eventually tweak his role and figure it out.
But he’s just not figuring it out for long, leading to games when he can be counted on and games when he can’t.
Measure that against the work of James who has been wildly consistent all season, even at 37 years old with injuries.
It’s not entirely fair to compare Westbrook to James but with the contract Westbrook has, he should be held to some pretty high standards.
In the Wednesday night loss against the Kings, Sacramento’s DJ played “Cold As Ice” every time Westbrook missed a shot.
The Sacramento Kings DJ played “Cold as Ice” every time Russell Westbrook missed a shot 🥶😭 pic.twitter.com/OqC04LXvrF
— DARIUS A (@IAMDARIUSALFORD) January 13, 2022
That’s just something that no team should see about someone who is supposed to be a star player.
Westbrook will likely pull out of this slump and perform better soon but the scary thing is that there is little to no doubt that in the next few months, another slump like this will emerge.
He will be good for a while and then bad again.
That’s just the one thing you can count on with Westbrook.
NEXT: Why The Lakers Will Regret Trading Rajon Rondo