Frank Vogel’s confusing comments on Russell Westbrook being benched at end of Lakers games

On Tuesday, for the second straight game, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel kept Russell Westbrook out of the game for much of crunch time.

However, after the contest, Vogel gave a seemingly contradictory comment about how reliable the triple-double king is down the stretch.

Frank Vogel says that Russell Westbrook is "for sure" trusted to be in the closing lineup for this team.

— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) February 9, 2022

On Saturday against the New York Knicks, Westbrook had a terrible outing, and he was benched in overtime. The Lakers managed to overcome a big deficit and close things out without him, 122-115.

But on Tuesday, versus the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, it was a different story.

Westbrook again shot poorly, and after falling behind by a huge margin, the Lakers never really threatened to make it a real ball game.

Lakers fans have grown increasingly frustrated with Westbrook. Many have called for him to be traded or even waived, and those at Crypto.com Arena have even started booing the L.A. area native.

The Bucks had a field day with the Lakers’ weak defense, shooting a very high percentage and feasting in the paint to the tune of a 131-116 victory.

Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo shot an incredible 17-of-20 from the field, including several dunks, en route to 44 points.

Although Westbrook, at times, has hurt the Lakers, their problems go far beyond him.

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