Stephen Curry’s Former Teammate Defends Westbrook vs Pressure In a Lakers Uniform with LeBron James and Anthony Davis: “The Disrespect Is Way Over the Top”

Published 07/01/2022, 10:30 AM EDT

The Los Angeles Lakers had a disastrous year last season. They didn’t even make the play-in tournament as they finished 11th in the Western Conference. After trading for Russell Westbrook and pairing him up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers were expected to be a major force in the West, but it didn’t come to be.

The Lakers had various problems throughout the year. Anthony Davis missed a big part of the season and LeBron James had to sit out quite often due to injuries. Westbrook had a very poor season, as he found it difficult to adjust. He was constantly disrespected by the media and fans alike. Former Lakers player, Matt Barnes, defended Westbrook on Iman Shumpert’s podcast.

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He knows that being in Los Angeles is a challenge in itself, “there’s nothing like being a Laker, first and foremost…it’s like a magnifying glass, not only on your game but your life”. He accepted the fact that Westbrook had a poor season, but it was magnified because it happened in a Lakers jersey.

There was a lot of hype when Russell Westbrook was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Barnes mentioned, “With all the built-up hype around it, people are always gonna do the most in the media”. Even though Russ had a poor season, he said, “I think the disrespect is way over the top”.

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Another major reason for the Laker’s failures this season was a lack of chemistry. According to Stephen Curry‘s former teammate, “Russ and Bron really never got enough time to play together”. Since both LeBron James and Westbrook are ball-dominant players, they didn’t understand when to give it up.

A horrible season for LeBron James and the Lakers

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The Los Angeles Lakers finished the season with a 33-49 record, which was only good for the 11th seed in the West. While LeBron James was excellent whenever he played, the Lakers just couldn’t win games. Anthony Davis missed more than half the season with injuries. Even though Westbrook was available for 78 games this season, his performances were poor compared to his past self.

The Lakers will surely hope to change their roster in the offseason. They have already changed their head coach ahead of the new season.

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WATCH THIS STORY: 5 games that prove the Russell Westbrook criticism is unfair

How do you think the Lakers will perform next season? Will Russell Westbrook stay with the purple and gold? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Pragya is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed Masters in Sports Management from the International Institute of Sports Management, Mumbai, he has been a passionate fan of the NBA since 2010. Pragya is a massive supporter of LeBron James and just wants to enjoy the twilight years of his Hall of Fame career.

Edited by:

Ajinkya Aswale

Stephen Curry’s Former Teammate Defends Westbrook vs Pressure In a Lakers Uniform with LeBron James and Anthony Davis: “The Disrespect Is Way Over the Top”

A horrible season for LeBron James and the Lakers

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