Russell Westbrook Ripped by Twitter for 0-for-11 Shooting in Lakers' Loss to Clippers
October 21, 2022
The Los Angeles Lakers were the most disappointing team in the league last season, missing the playoffs and the play-in tournament despite a roster that featured a number of future Hall of Famers.
It looks like the same Lakers in the early going of the 2022-23 campaign.
Los Angeles fell to 0-2 with a 103-97 loss to the L.A. Clippers on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. Anthony Davis (25 points and eight rebounds), LeBron James (20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists) and Lonnie Walker IV (26 points) all played well, but it wasn't enough.
Russell Westbrook going 0-of-11 from the field and 0-of-6 from three-point range certainly didn't help and led to plenty of reaction from NBA Twitter:
Westbrook's difficulty adjusting to a new role on the Lakers was part of the team's problem last season. While his resume includes nine All-Star selections, a league MVP and two scoring titles, he has also been a ball-dominant player who is not a significant threat from deep for much of his career.
That doesn't mesh well with James, who is also a ball-dominant player who thrives when he is surrounded by effective three-point shooters who can take advantage of the space created by the attention he draws from opposing defenses.
Perhaps the Lakers will eventually trade Westbrook for players who fit better alongside the King at some point this season, but the issues that haunted them last season are still present through two games with the start of a new campaign.
Westbrook will look to turn things around Sunday when the Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers.