Author of a completely failed season with the Lakers, Russell Westbrook is no longer in the odor of holiness on the side of California. It must be said that according to the latest rumors in the hallway, the leader has not necessarily put all the chances on his side to be appreciated by his colleagues in the locker room…
When he signed with the Lakers, Russell Westbrook was swimming happily. A native of the area, the Brodie already saw himself becoming the local hero, signing a triumphant return to this region which saw him born and grow up. Quickly, however, things turned into a total nightmare, and Russ became the scapegoat and the emblematic player of a historically pitiful season for the Angelinos. Often absent in defense, author of countless bricks and turnovers, Westbrook was simply far from the standards to which he had accustomed us.
Even more problematic: in the locker room, the former Thunder did not seem to find points of support and support. Why ? In recent weeks, several insiders have not failed to point out that the Brodie had had a hard time taking the criticism, and was sometimes even downright denial about its poor performance.
Russell Westbrook, a questioning behavior
A story confirmed by journalist Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who signed a long paper on Russ’ ordeal, and which explains the extent of the “Westbrook Experiment” fiasco in the city of angels. The passage below, for example, is unequivocal and says a lot about the atmosphere that must have reigned in the locker room during such moments:
From what I heard last season, during team video sessions, he refused to admit the egregious wrongs he had. Like, “Hey, you missed that defensive rotation.” And he said no. He didn’t like being the center of attention during these video sessions.
Anyone who has ever played a team sport knows how infuriating it is to see an offending teammate not accept blame, and act as if they were not at fault. Obviously, these kinds of little habits taken by the Brodie did not contribute to making him one of the most popular figures in the locker room. Too often, the former Thunder star has stubbornly behaved like the superstar he is, unfortunately for him, no longer really…
If the Lakers fail to trade Westbrook as they so desperately want, the Californian will have to resolutely change his attitude to hope things work out with LeBron James and company. Unfortunately, according to insiders, RussWest still does not seem to have understood that its status has changed. In short, the problems could flare up again in the fall.
Often off the hook last season, Russell Westbrook was unwilling to take the blame when reprimands came his way. An attitude that necessarily raises questions, and which could also explain a lot of things…