The Los Angeles Lakers are still dealing with the team chemistry issue despite a series of changes this offseason. After a disappointing run last season, Russell Westbrook received a lot of heat for his lack of performance. The Lakers’ front office has tried to trade the nine-time All-Star all summer. However, the trade decisions did not bear any fruitful results and Westbrook is likely to stay one more season with the Lakers after taking the $47.1 million player option this year.

However, things have gotten trickier after Westbrook was seen maintaining his distance from the team person during the pre-season encounters. Recently, former NBA star Kwane Brown has taken a dig at Russell Westbrook and LeBron James-led Lakers side after the ugly incident, attracting negative attention to the franchise.

Russell Westbrook seemed to have distanced himself from his teammates during the October 12 pre-season encounter against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The footage of the whole scenario went viral, triggering a lot of chatter among critics and fans. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost the game by 114-99.

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Moreover, the 2017 MVP played for just five minutes the next day against Minnesota before being sidelined due to a hamstring injury in the first quarter. The Timberwolves ended the game with 118-113. The Lakers finished their pre-season on a disappointing 1-5 record, making things more concerning for the franchise.

Kwame Brown criticizes the move by Russell Westbrook

Former NBA star Kwame Brown reckoned in his recent podcast that Westbrook’s on-court actions did not seem to be professional. Brown suggested that he wanted to address the issue without disrespecting Westbrook. The former Lakers star said, “I have respect for the game. So I know what he is doing is disrespectful. You go to the huddle. You, you fight with your teammates.”

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In addition, Brown stated that Westbrook had no reason to be acting the way he is doing as the Lakers had not won anything. Moreover, the NBA star felt that Westbrook seemed to be making selfish actions and needed to be called out respectfully.

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The Los Angeles Lakers start the 2022-23 season against the Golden State Warriors on October 18th. However, the franchise seems to be lacking the unity required to get through difficult situations together. The Lakers are in a tough spot after an embarrassing last season. They would hope to get back into winning ways and get close to a championship this time around. Hopefully, Westbrook can turn his fortunes around alongside LeBron James this season.