After a rocky year and a half with the Los Angeles Lakers, Russell Westbrook seems to be thriving as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.
He took a subtle shot at the Lakers when he said that the Clippers allow him to play through his mistakes, as opposed to how he would be taken out quickly in the past after a miscue.
Russell Westbrook says he would’ve got a quick hook in the past if he made a mistake on the basketball court, per @ChrisBHaynes
Westbrook credits the Clippers for allowing him to play through his mistakes 👀 pic.twitter.com/SuoEiTOEaM
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 19, 2023
After many years as the driving force of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as brief stints with the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, Westbrook was traded to the Lakers in the summer of 2021 for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and a first-round draft pick.
Many felt L.A. had just made itself into a legitimate championship contender, but Westbrook never really fit in, and trading for him left it bereft of salary cap space and the trade capital needed to field a strong cast around him, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
As a result, the Lakers missed the play-in tournament last season.
This season, it looked like they were headed toward the same fate, until Westbrook was traded in February in a blockbuster deal that netted them D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.
During his time with the Lakers, Westbrook was widely criticized and scapegoated for his poor shooting accuracy, especially outside of the paint, questionable shot selection and propensity to commit turnovers.
It got to the point where head coach Darvin Ham moved him to the bench early this season and reduced his playing time.
After Westbrook was sent to the Utah Jazz in that February deal, he was waived, allowing him to join the Clippers. There, he averaged 15.8 points and 7.6 assists per game while shooting 48.9 percent overall and 35.6 percent from 3-point range in 21 regular season contests.
He has regained his starting spot, and he is now a part of a team many feel can reach the NBA Finals.
