Source: Alex Goodlett / Getty
Since
Russell Westbrook took his talents to the
Los Angeles Lakers, fans have wondered how he’d fit in with the purple and yellow squad. And as it turns out this season, he’s not really fitting in at all.
In the second game of the season –which was also the Laker’s home opener– Westbrook simply had one of the worst shooting nights of his 14-year career. While the Lakers lost 103-97 to the Los Angeles Clippers, Westbrook went 0 for 11 from the field, including 0 for 6 from 3-point range, and finished with just two points, four assists, and three rebounds. The upside? He did manage to nab five steals.
Critiques are standard for Westbrook’s style of play. Still, this dismal of a shooting night is extremely rare and hasn’t happened since he failed to make a single shot in January of 2016 against the
Dallas Mavericks — in which he was ejected during the second quarter.
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In the locker room after the game, Westbrook was asked to evaluate his own game, answering, “Solid. Solid. Played hard, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Even
LeBron James was clearly disappointed in Westbrook’s performance after losing the contest but looks to the future.
“Just flush it down the toilet and get ready for Sunday,” James said. “He’s a veteran. We’ve all had bad shooting nights. I’ve had bad shooting nights. Everybody in this league has had bad shooting nights. Who cares? I thought he played a great game.”
The offseason hasn’t been easy for the 33-year-old, who’s been the subject of trade talks all summer and recently blamed Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s decision to bring him off the bench for his groin injury.
“I’ve been doing the same thing for 14 years straight,” Westbrook said after beating the Warriors in the season opener. “Honestly, I didn’t even know what to do pregame. Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose. … That’s something I just wasn’t accustomed to.”
Twitter‘s never kind to lackluster performances. Check out how social media is reacting to Westbrook’s night full of bricks below:
