russell westbrook is having one of his worst seasons in recent memory. The Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard has struggled a lot at times, and even his opponents make fun of him. However, his former teammate, Bradley Beal, seems to have had enough of the slurs.
beal and westbrook played just one season together on the washington wizards. Still, the three-time all-star suggests he’s learned a lot playing alongside the former NBA MVP. The Wizards star recently applauded people who criticized Westbrook’s play during the 2021 season.
bradley beal defends lakers shooting guard russell westbrook
Russell Westbrook’s numbers aren’t horrible, but there is a noticeable difference when compared to his stats in past seasons. the shooting guard of the lakers averages 18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the season. the numbers have dropped in each category year over year. he too has struggled with efficiency, shooting 43.9% from the field and 29.6% from behind the arc.
bradley beal doesn’t care what other people think. The Washington Wizards star has Westbrook’s back, and he’s tired of hearing the slander surrounding his former teammate. Beal recently appeared on the Draymond Green Show and provided his take on all the noise.
“That pissed me off, I ain’t gonna lie bro,” Beal said. “It really frustrated me, especially being a guy who played with him. disrespect, that shit has to stop. we are acting as if this man is not a member of the hall of fame, first vote.”
beal suggests that westbrook’s style of play may turn some people off, but he doesn’t apologize for it.
“the way he plays may not be his cup of tea, it may not be,” he added. “Russ is not going to shoot a million three. russ is going to play winning basketball, russ is going to get rebounds, russ is going to make assists. he is going to take advantage of the matchups that he feels he can. that’s russ and he’s going to play 100 miles per hour, he’s going to play hard. If that’s not your cup of tea, don’t look at it.”
bradley beal believes that people are prisoners of the moment and are trying to change it when he has played the same style of basketball for his entire career.
the wizards all-star learned a lot playing with the former mvp
Bradley Beal didn’t play with Russell Westbrook for long, but he speaks highly of the Lakers star. Westbrook joined the Washington Wizards in 2020 after the Houston Rockets traded him for John Wall.
In their brief time together, Beal reveals he’s learned a lot about the veteran guard and even some lessons to apply to himself.
“I was frustrated, you know, my brother’s [wall] is gone,” Beal said. “But I understood who we were winning. i understood who russ was, and this is an mvp that we are receiving. no disrespect to john but russ has won an mvp you know how russ plays. he is balls to the wall every night. he gets hard every night.”
beal suggests he’s never played with a guy like westbrook. the ucla product engine taught him a lot about how to approach the game.
“every night, we don’t always want to bring it. we are tired some nights, beaten many nights, whatever the case may be. we are dealing with something mentally. I have literally seen this guy lace them up and play as hard as he could every night. and he pushed me. all i heard all year was, ‘come on, b, go ahead, b’. I never understood that impulse. but to be in the fire with him, to be around him on a day-to-day basis, to see how he prepared, I’m fine with that.”
la just doesn’t seem like the right fit for westbrook
as bradley beal argues, russell westbrook deserves more respect than he has received this season. however, it’s hard to ignore their struggles.
many people have criticized westbrook because they have seen his greatness. They have seen him be one of the best players the NBA has to offer. that same player hasn’t been on the floor for the lakers in 2021.
While the 33-year-old guard’s game is just one of many problems the Lakers have right now, it’s a pretty big one. I expected her to compete for another title this year. Anthony Davis hasn’t been in the lineup, but Westbrook hasn’t consistently stepped up in his absence.
Whether the lakers admit it or not, russell westbrook doesn’t fit very well on this lakers team as it is currently constructed. the nine-time all-star has posted ridiculous numbers throughout his career. he has averaged a triple-double on four separate occasions. however, he is a guard who dominates the ball. that presents a problem when he is played alongside lebron james.
westbrook is not an efficient shooter and he plays better when he can control the flow of the game. as tempting as the idea of adding it to the mix sounded, it hasn’t worked. the russell westbrook experiment appears to be a unique scenario.
all stats courtesy of basketball reference
related: russell westbrook’s shooting problems stem from the same fatal flaw that plagues ben simmons, according to tom haberstroh