A former Los Angeles Lakers star recently stated that Russell Westbrook shouldn’t be blamed for his bad time with the Lakers. As many NBA fans might be aware, Westbrook was a part of the Lakers until the backend of last season. However, the team was not doing well and finally decided to move on from him.
Although many NBA experts and analysts would agree that the Lakers got much better after letting go of Westbrook, Patrick Beverley made it clear that the Lakers deserved a significant amount of blame for the whole failed experiment.
This goes against the narrative that has been projected by the mainstream media. Therefore, fans should certainly want to know what Beverley had to say and if there is any truth to it.
Patrick Beverley blames the Los Angeles Lakers for over-coaching Russell Westbrook
Lakers fans will still be able to remember Westbrook’s play for their team. When he was initially brought over to the team by LeBron James, many NBA experts felt that he would be unable to change his style of play and adapt to the current situation. After all, there had never really been a point in his career where Westbrook was the third-best player on the team.
Although the team held championship aspirations, things did not go as planned during his first season with the Lakers. The team finished with a record of 33 wins and 49 losses. Having such a subpar record eliminated them from contention in the postseason.
The Lakers looked like they were on the verge of missing the playoffs this season as well. Until they traded away Westbrook, they were dangerously hovering around the 10th seed. After the trade, they finished as the 7th seed and made it to the Western Conference Finals.
Despite the evidence indicating otherwise, Patrick Beverley defended Westbrook and blamed the Lakers management for the lack of success that the team saw with him, “All the beef about Russ, maybe none of that happens…It’s ways that you have to operate your team without over-managing it, or over-coaching it. Sometimes you just have to put the dominoes out there.”
Patrick Beverley thinks that the Los Angeles Lakers are to blame for the failed Russell Westbrook experimenthttps://t.co/WQEryE0nK3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 4, 2023
It is quite difficult to say with certainty who is to blame for Westbrook’s time with the Lakers failing. Since he was the third-best player on the team, he was not given the freedom and ball usage that he had been accustomed to. On the other hand, no one ever coached him to miss shots or shoot airballs. Fans should decide for themselves whether Pat Bev got it right on this one.
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