During Wednesday night’s preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, a video of Russell Westbrook refusing to join a huddle led by teammate Patrick Beverley went viral on social media.
Russ with no interest in joining Pat Bev’s defensive huddle after fouling his man on that end of the floor
(h/t @JacobRude)pic.twitter.com/OrjfhvtZhK
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) October 13, 2022
Westbrook received plenty of criticism for not joining that huddle, but Beverley had his back by explaining exactly what happened at that moment.
Pat Bev on what REALLY went down with the Russ huddle situation. Episode 01 out tomorrow pic.twitter.com/8YqJCVuADq
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) October 17, 2022
“When I was in the huddle, I felt like Russ was in there with me,” Beverley said. “He was talking to the ref, and he was talking to the coaches also. So, we wasn’t even talking about the last play. And everybody was like okay. And then after the game, everybody was like, ‘Why’d he do you like that?’ I’m like, ‘Damn, what happened?’ They sent it to me, obviously it’s funny as hell.”
The veteran guard said he even talked to Westbrook about how he is a huge target for criticism and how he has been under a powerful microscope since being traded to the Lakers.
“We told him on the plane like, ‘Hey Russ, anything you do, bro, they’re like gonna attack you. So, damn, I’m sorry you gotta go through that,'” Beverley said.
When Westbrook came to L.A. last summer, the thinking was that the Leuzinger High School alum had returned to his hometown in order to compete for an NBA championship with the team that he rooted for while growing up in the area.
But that’s not exactly what happened. Instead, because of injuries, bad roster construction and Westbrook having trouble fitting in, the Lakers didn’t even reach the play-in tournament.
The former league MVP was made into the lead scapegoat for all of the team’s troubles, and some of the blame was over the top.
One possible solution, or at least a stopgap that has been discussed for months has been moving Westbrook to the bench. New head coach Darvin Ham did exactly that in the team’s final exhibition contest on Friday, and Westbrook reportedly had a good attitude about the change.
Alas, he pulled up lame with a hamstring injury in the first quarter. However, he is listed as probable for the Lakers’ regular season opener on Tuesday versus the Golden State Warriors.
