One of the main scapegoats of the Los Angeles Lakers season has been Russell Westbrook. ‘Russ’ was gotten on board in the offseason to form a Big 3 alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The move turned out to be disastrous due to a variety of factors as ‘The Purple and Gold’ failed to make it to the post-season. After most of the blame fell on Westbrook, a former NBA all-star has come to his aid and says it’s not as bad as people think.

Arenas was asked about Russ and his situation with the Lakers. He said, “This man averaged 17, 18, 17, 8, and 8 being the third option, but he getting booed every night… It’s not as bad as people think.” 

“Because if they won, and he sacrificed like that, he’s the perfect option… But the fact that they’re losing, it’s your fault. 17,18,8, what’s this… Well, you told me, I couldn’t average 30,10,10.”

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Why Gilbert Arenas has a point in Russell Westbrook not being at fault with the Lakers?

When Russ came into the Lakers, they had high hopes. If history tells us anything, having three superstars surely makes up a title contender. Unfortunately, problems were evident from day one. Even when it seemed they were getting it going, the Lakers were dealt with injuries to star players. Anthony Davis missed more than half the season and LeBron missed a considerable amount of time.

Subsequently, Frank Vogel was let go as the head coach and now the fans and media seem to have turned on Westbrook.

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Russ had never played on a team like the Lakers. When he was with Durant, he was never the third option on a team. After Durant left, he became the primary option for OKC. Even in his next two teams in Houston and Washington, he was always the second option.

But on the Lakers, he was behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the pecking order. Westbrook still put on good numbers throughout the season, but the franchise just couldn’t figure out how to get the best out of him in what was one of his worst shooting years. They will need to figure out how to use him effectively or find a trade that works for all parties.