The 2021-22 NBA season has not been easy for the Los Angeles Lakers at any moment but right now they seem to be at their lowest. The Purple and Gold have lost four in a row and are in danger of falling below 9th place.
Their poor campaign is not a surprise anymore given how much they struggled throughout the season but it’s certainly not what many of us expected from them in the offseason.
One of the things that has not gone according to plan was the signing of Russell Westbrook. Brodie arrived in LA in a much-hyped trade yet he’s been constantly blamed for the team’s struggles this season.
Russell Westbrook lashes out at reporter over his Lakers’ expectations
In the postgame conference after the Clippers’ win over the Lakers, Brodie didn’t mind to fire back at a reporter who asked about how different the season has gone for him, suggesting that Westbrook expected something different when he joined the Lakers.
“What did I envision? Is the season over? Is the season over? No? Thank you,” Westbrook said, as quoted by Fadeaway World. “What did you envision? Since you spoke for me, I want to know what you envisioned. You still haven’t answered my question. What did I envision? I want to know what you think my vision is. I have no expectations, that’s why you don’t know what I envision.
“The last 4 years I’ve been on 4 different teams. My vision of thinking everything is gonna be peaches and cream, that’s not realistic, that’s not life. So I come into every situation, start from ground zero and figure out along the way. I have no expectations of how things will work. I just try to find ways to best help my teammates and that’s about it.”
Westbrook warns the NBA not to count him out
“My role and what I’m doing has changed every single night,” Westbrook said, per ESPN. “So I’m just trying to figure that out as I’m playing and to be able to benefit and help my team.
“But my expectations are still the same. I’m not a quitter. It’s not in my genes. I don’t quit, regardless of what the hell is going on. I’m going to fight to the end, and if it don’t work, that’s cool, too. I can live with the results. But I’m never going to give up or give in because of a little struggle that’s happening this time of the year.”
With the regular season finale drawing nearer, the Lakers have a lot of work to do if they want to be in the postseason. The outlook isn’t promising and Westbrook may not have a lot of time to turn things around. But he will try to do so until the very end.