Russell Westbrook’s first season with the Lakers was far from smooth as the veteran point guard struggled to establish himself on a team that underperformed.
During his exit interview on Monday, Westbrook reflected on his game and the turbulent season in LA. The former All-Star said he believed he was never given a fair opportunity to contribute and had faced unfair scrutiny from day one.
“When I came here and I was just a person, unfortunately, people tell stories about me and who I am and what I do, which I believe is just not true,” Westbrook told reporters. “I always have to prove myself year after year, which is just unfair for me, there’s really no reason I have to do that. When I arrived here I just felt like I was never given a fair chance to just be who I needed to be to be able to help this team.”
Earlier in the season, alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Westbrook’s fit caused both optimism and concern due to his ball-dominated style of play. That conversation quickly became a weekly topic of discussion as the Lakers struggled with health and chemistry en route to finishing the 33-49 season, their worst record since 2016-17.
The former All-Star drew waves of criticism for a performance that many saw as not up to his usual standards; The reaction even became caustic, with some fans even going so far as to threaten Westbrook and his family. The 33-year-old finished the year averaging 18.5 points per game — his lowest since his sophomore season — 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists on 44% shots from the field and 30% from three.
As questions continue to circulate about his future with the team, Westbrook admitted he was unhappy with his game this season and took responsibility for his role in the Lakers’ failed campaign.
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“I’m very careful to put a lot of pressure on myself in any situation. Just my game in general, not my best season, I’m just going by myself because that’s the only thing I lose regardless of the season,” he said. “I know a lot of people outside of here and the media, whatever that is, have their own expectations of how they look, how I should play or what numbers I should put up, but for me personally, I have myself myself on a very, very high scale and yes I’m not happy with how the season has panned out from that perspective.
With one year left on his current contract, it remains unclear whether Westbrook will stay with the club for the 2022/23 season. Speculation will likely increase as he makes a decision on whether or not to go with his $47 million player option, which he hasn’t made a decision on at this time.
The Lakers have already begun their offseason overhaul with the firing of coach Frank Vogel Monday morning, the first of an expected series of steps in the coming months.
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