Russell Westbrook is being criticized for a poor shooting night Saturday against the Nets, but LeBron James came to the defense of his teammate after the Lakers suffered their fifth straight loss, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Westbrook turned in another triple-double, but he made just four of 20 shots from the field, committed five fouls and three turnovers, and missed a shot at the rim in the closing seconds of the game.
“He gave us extra possessions, he gave us a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can’t stand (failing to convert) as well,” James said. “But as far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I got no problem with that. It’s a make-or-miss league.”
L.A. sent three rotation players and a draft pick to the Wizards over the summer to acquire Westbrook, whom they hoped would form a dangerous big three with James and Anthony Davis. However, the results have been mixed at best. The Lakers are 16-18, and Westbrook is averaging just 19.6 points per game, shooting 45.1% from the field and 30.4% from three-point range, and committing 4.6 turnovers per night. There have been rumors that the front office is already looking to move him, but his contract, which includes a $47.1M player option for next season, makes that difficult.
“A big part of it is he just wants it so bad,” acting head coach David Fizdale said. “I mean, you can just see it in him, everybody does. He wants it so bad. And I know that’s just hard for him when it doesn’t work out. And I know he cares like crazy.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!