The Russell Westbrook era has been a disaster so far for the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook entered Saturday averaging 18.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists, but it’s volume-accumulating fool’s gold. He’s shooting 44.1% from the field, 30.5% on three-pointers, and 67.4% from the free-throw line, while committing 4.1 turnovers per game. His 15.59 Player Efficiency Rating ranks 19th among NBA point guards, and that’s after the Lakers’ front office viewed him as the missing piece to take them to the next level alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
And not only has Westbrook’s shooting been below-average, but he’s also had many truly incredible misses, as this montage of lowlights tweeted out on Jan. 11 shows:
Well, Westbrook added another shot for the montage in the Lakers’ game against the New York Knicks Saturday night (nationally televised on ABC). And the brick was followed by heavy boos from the fans at Staples Center.
How does a nine-time NBA All-Star and former NBA MVP miss that badly, and so frequently? And why does nothing change with his shot selection after all of these bricks? It’s quite comical to watch- unless you’re a Lakers fan. In that case, it’s just maddening.
At halftime, the Lakers (25-28) trail the Knicks (24-28) 71-56, and Westbrook has a game-worst plus-minus of -24 in 15 minutes played.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.