Safe to say the Lakers are bad this year. And Russell Westbrook is looking especially unfit in his new role. Former NFL Player Keyshawn Johnson said, “Well, he’s in a place right now, where he’s trying to ball and… It just ain’t happening man. One of them highlights, he went to do a layup and I don’t even… I don’t even know how to describe it. It just… It does not look like he knew how to play basketball.”

Those are big words. The context was set by the Lakers when they went game after game without showing the grit and effort. Especially from the perspective of a team build for the championship. And yet, it is struggling to make the playoffs.

The Lakers Are Falling Apart

Even without Anthony Davis, the team should not be struggling as much as they are. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the LA Lakers by 20 points in a comfortable victory. Lebron James had 19 points and 5 rebounds, but interestingly he had a plus/minus of -19. And Russell Westbrook had an amazingly tough night.

On the court, he was average. Scoring 15 points with 4 rebounds and 5 assists, along with two steals. But he was embarrassed by the trash-talking fans, airball-catching opponents, and a missed layup. To top it all, Pat Beverly was on Westbrook the whole night. Playing the mind games that he so brilliantly executes through different subtle and not-so-subtle actions and reactions.

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Fans had expectations from Russell Westbrook

The veteran LA team was assembled so that they compete for the championship. But this year’s Lakers have opened up Pandora’s box. And what has come out is the Lebron James dependency that will kill any team which needs one of its stars to go mega every night.

“You Had Kevin Durant and Harden and You Won No Ring”: Russell Westbrook Thrashed for Controversial Claim

It is a team sport and everybody has to chip in. The shooting percentages for the Lakers are abysmal, while they are attempting shots at par with the league. Lakers Nation is justifiably disappointed because they never saw this as a building season. They are here to win.

And anything less would be disappointing. Yet, through the season, the fans and the team itself must have done some expectation management. And hopefully, they will be able to control the frustration to bearable levels as the season progresses. (while the Lakers don’t.)

Watch this story: Randy Gregory flips on Dallas Cowboys after agreeing to contract, to join Denver Broncos instead