An argument could easily be made that if there is one player in the NBA that has the most to prove heading into the 2022-23 NBA season, it’s Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook joined the Lakers last summer, and many thought the move would help the Lakers win another NBA championship. What instead took place was one of the more disappointing seasons in recent memory for the franchise.
The nine-time All-Star ultimately bore a lot of the blame.
Now, one of Westbrook’s former teammates, Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo, has made it clear that he believes the former MVP is on a revenge tour.
“Right now, we on the same wavelength,” he said after talking about his own revenge tour. “When I say that, you said it best. You have to sit down and talk to him to understand where he’s at, but he’s there.”
There’s no doubt that Westbrook has the talent necessary to still be an impact player in the league. After all, he was still able to average 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game last season.
However, the task ahead of him has little to do with whether or not he can put up stats. The primary question has to do with whether or not he can impact winning and play team-first basketball with the Lakers.
Despite the fact that the Lakers are seemingly still trying to trade Westbrook, there are signs that point to him being on the team at the start of the upcoming regular season.
If he is on the team at that point, Westbrook will surely want to do everything in his power to prove that he belongs and can play alongside his superstar teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
If he can do that, he could quickly rejuvenate his damaged reputation.
