The Los Angeles Lakers have been far from good as of late. And, while most people have blamed Russell Westbrook for their struggles, he wasn't even on the court when they blew a game to the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers.
Frank Vogel's team has now dropped multiple games with either Westbrook on the bench or not playing at all. Needless to say, that puts the 'Russell Westbrook is the problem' narrative in doubt.
That's why former NBA player Jamal Crawford took to Twitter to defend theOklahoma City Thunder legend. Per Crawford, the Lakers' issues go way beyond one single player and he shouldn't be pointed at.
Los Angeles Lakers: Jamal Crawford Says Russell Westbrook Is Not The Problem
"I said a while ago, the 'blame Russ' narrative was an easy picture to paint. Lakers problems are deeper than that.." Crawford tweeted.
LeBron Admits He's Talked To Westbrook Over His Game
LeBron James has been there for Westbrook during this tough time. Per The King, he's trying his best and all he wants to do is try and help the team get some wins:
“He wants to be better and he wants to put us in a position where we can in ballgames with him on the floor," LeBron told the media. "He wants to make plays. He wants to lead this team like he’s capable of doing and like he’s done in his career. He wants to prove to people, prove to himself that he knows he belongs on a championship ball club, or someone that’s aspiring to be a championship ball club."
"But those are my guesses," James added. "I’m not going to tell you exactly our dialogue, but those are my guesses. Because I know the person that he is. I understand that he knew, and we know, what we’re all here for. I just hat that we’re all here right now and it kind of hasn’t worked out that way two-thirds through the season.”
Westbrook Isn't Pleased With Frank Vogel
Westbrook hasn't been satisfied with not closing out games and he hasn't hidden that. Recently, he took a big shot at coach Frank Vogel for the lack of clarity and consistency in his rotations:
“You never know when you’re coming in, you never know when you’re coming out. You never know when you’re playing, you never know... a bunch of things," Westbrook said. "And I’m speaking for me personally, so it’s a difficult process to be able to figure out and create some rhythm and some consistency where we can actually see what we’re able to do as a team, but those decisions are made by him and his coaching staff, and you’ve got to live with it and move on."
Two-thirds of the season are already on the books and the Lakers don't even know who's closing out games. That speaks volumes of how poorly coached and led this team has been all year long, and Westbrook isn't to blame for that.
