Lakers' LeBron James on Russell Westbrook: 'There’s Not 1 Guy That Get the Blame'

Russell Westbrook has been one of the main scapegoats for the struggling Los Angeles Lakers this season after his offseason acquisition.

But on Monday, LeBron James expressed support for his teammate ahead of the NBA trade deadline Thursday:

"For me, as a brother to Russ, at the end of the day I only care about his state of mind and how much he can give to himself," James added. "If he commit to himself, then it will trickle down to the rest of us. I don't really get involved in all of the other schematics and things off the floor. All I really care about is how he is, how his well-being is, how his family doing. The game will translate. You put the work in, the game will translate. Guys struggle all the time."

The 26-28 Lakers have been one of the disappointing teams in the NBA this season, sitting just ninth in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, they'd be fighting for their postseason lives in the play-in tournament.

There are a number of potential reasons for the team's poor form. Injuries have been an issue, with James missing 17 games this season and Anthony Davis missing 21. Head coach Frank Vogel has also found himself on the hot seat throughout the year, and questionable roster construction has left the team with a group of ill-fitting players.

Westbrook falls into that third issue. Brought aboard to be the third star, the ball-dominant Westbrook has never seemed to fit naturally next to James, who also thrives with the ball in his hands.

The 33-year-old point guard has offered a mixed bag, registering impressive counting stats (18.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 7.7 APG) but lacking efficiency (43.7 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three, 66.8 percent from the free-throw line) and hurting the team's floor spacing.

The Lakers simply play worse when he's on the court. The team's net rating when Westbrook plays is -3.1, per NBA.com. When he sits, that improves to 1.6.

He also isn't much of a defensive contributor at this point. The team's defensive rating improves from 109.4 when he plays to 104.5 when he sits.

And the trio of James, Davis and Westbrook isn't exactly dominant. That three-man lineup has a net rating of just 2.0. Take Westbrook out of the equation, and the two-man lineup of James and Davis has a 5.3 net rating.

Those are all concerning numbers. James can defend Westbrook publicly, but it's hard to make the argument that adding the veteran point guard has improved the Lakers.

If L.A. can somehow find a way to unload Westbrook's $44.2 million contract—unlikely, considering he also has a $47 million player option for next season that he'll almost assuredly exercise—while getting back a complementary piece, they'll pull the trigger.