Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Upon the heavy scrutiny levied upon Russell Westbrook, former teammate Dion Waiters defended the former MVP, claiming that he needs a fresh start elsewhere.

The Los Angeles Lakers have had a dismal start in their NBA season. After a blowout loss against the Golden State Warriors and a crushing close defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers are winless right now.

Like much of the last year, Russell Westbrook has been under an incredible amount of scrutiny for the two losses. While he had a decent night against the Warriors, he had a night to forget against the Clippers. Unable to make a single shot out of the 11 he took, Brodie's offensive numbers were horrendous against the Clippers, and fans demanding the Lakers to trade him are growing louder.

Dion Waiters Defends Russell Westbrook After His Poor Start To The Season

Westbrook certainly hasn't had the best of starts to his season. Given that he is playing his second season with the Lakers, this is probably the best chance for him to redeem himself, but he certainly hasn't done any favors in the first two games.

While fans have been busy battering the former MVP for his disappointing start to the season, former teammate Dion Waiters recently defended his former teammate. In a recent tweet, Waiters commented that Brodie was in dire need of a fresh start to his career.

“Yes, but he’s not having fun. He needs a fresh start & watch him go crazy on another team. If anything happen he the escape goat.”

The former Laker certainly isn't wrong. Ever since his trade to the Lakers, Westbrook has never been the perfect fit alongside LeBron James. Given that both AD and Bron had already won a title, the addition of Brodie was supposed to form the big three, but all it has done was making Westbrook the scapegoat.

Although the idea of a run-it-back is enticing, from the first two games, it is clear that the team is in dire need of a change. Trading Westbrook might be the way to go for the player and the team. Will the Lakers pull off a trade for Westbrook before the trade deadline? 

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