Russell Westbrook has not caught a break yet. His performances have severely underestimated his potential and, most definitely, his contribution to the team. The Lakers have also not gotten it easy since pre-season, with all their players having persisting problems.

This, however, seems to be stemming out of a past bitter history with former coach, Frank Vogel. According to Bill Simmons, a renowned sports analyst and sports writer, Vogel was the reason for Westbrook’s downfall.

What happened to Russell Westbrook?

In the match between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers, with 30 seconds left, the nine-time All-Star left everyone disappointed with his decision-making on the court. He attempted to take a mid-range shot. He missed. “No Russ no!” became a chant across the court. Fans were visibly upset as the Trail Blazers celebrated his miss.

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In his recent podcast, Simmons and Kevin O’Connor spoke about the Lakers’ team. He was of the belief that every single player 3 through 10 was below average. He admitted that Anthony Davis was really good, but with the team Davis is part of, it wasn’t going to amount to much.

In April this year, Russell Westbrook also commented on his “unfortunate” relationship with his former coach. Westbrook claimed that he had to constantly prove himself to Vogel. His performances arguably didn’t improve. He averaged 18.5 points per game, which was his lowest.

His shooting skills had not been tended to and he kept missing the hoop. This led to him getting dubbed ‘Westbrick’.

Why was Vogel villainized?

Frank Vogel was indeed fired by the Lakers after a disappointing season. It was reported that his inability to actualize Westbrook’s potential had a great deal to do with his firing. Many agreed that Russell Westbrook couldn’t get the leadership he deserved to be a great player.

Meanwhile, Lakers’ leader LeBron James refused to drag his teammate under the bus. At a press conference recently, James anticipated an instigation to talk about Westbrook. He slammed the media for focusing on his teammate. But he also confessed that he hated to lose.

Fans will be hoping the Lakers can get their act together and get their first win of the season.

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Do you think Russell Westbrook will be able to improve under new head coach Darvin Ham this season? Let us know in the comments below.