To say that Russell Westbrook disappointed in his first season with the Lakers is an understatement. When Los Angeles acquired the former NBA MVP from Washington, the expectations were sky-high. But he failed to connect with the rest of the team.
After such a disappointing year, in which the Lakers missed the playoffs, word on the street was that his days in California were numbered. However, as soon as Darvin Ham took over, those rumors were put to rest.
Though Westbrook has so far failed to impress, the new head coach has continuously shown praise for the nine-time NBA All-Star. For Ham, Russ still has a lot to offer despite many believe his best days are far behind him.
Darvin Ham warns Lakers fans not to count Russell Westbrook out
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Ham has once again made clear how much he admires Westbrook. Ham not only thinks Brodie has a lot left in his tank, but he has a plan to help him get back to his best.
"Counted out prematurely," Ham said. "Counted out. Prematurely. I’ve had some great interactions with Russ, in person, over dinner, over the phone, over text messages. I love Russell Westbrook, man. Just his mentality, his approach. Just to see him, a guy of that magnitude and everything he’s done in the league to get hated on.
"But being me, I got a wholehearted plan, a clear plan on how I’m going to use him. I showed it to him, sat down, brought stuff up for him. I think he’s going to flourish. We ain’t going to try to curtail his energy. We’re just going to diversify it, redirect it."
Though many would think Westbrook is staying at the Lakers only because moving him seems a challenging task, Ham looks really sold on the veteran guard. Patience has worn thin with Lakers fans, but maybe Ham can help Westbrook turn things around.
