Nothing has gone according to plan for Russell Westbrook or the Los Angeles Lakers since joining their paths last year. The former All-Star left much to be desired in his first season and was practically made a scapegoat for the team’s problems.
Despite the multiple trade rumors around him, Westbrook ended up staying in LA for the 2022-23 NBA season, but it doesn’t look like something has changed. Once again, Brodie is facing multiple critics after a poor start.
While most fans may have had enough of Westbrook, the veteran guard seems to have the support of his teammates. Not only leaders like LeBron James or Anthony Davis had his back, but Juan Toscano-Anderson even described Westbrook as one of the best teammates he’s ever had.
Juan Toscano-Anderson glad to have Russell Westbrook as a teammate
“It’s funny because before I met Russ, I didn’t really like Russ,” Toscano-Anderson told Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group, via Lakers Nation.“And I think a lot of people have that type of lens about Russ just because he’s so competitive. From the little time that I’ve known Russ – and I’ve had some hell of … I’ve had some great teammates – Russ is probably in my top five, top three teammates I’ve ever had. He’s an amazing teammate and an amazing person. And at the end of the day, I played overseas for five years before I made it to the NBA so I kind of have a wider view.
“I can differentiate between NBA life and real life. And he’s a human being, bro. Like he’s not perfect. He’s a human being. And I think people forget that. Or people think, ‘Oh, you make all this money and when you play this professional sport, you should be numb to these things.’ When in actuality, that’s not true.
“So, for me as a teammate, I feel like that’s my job. If I’m going to put on the same jersey as you, I’m going to have your back because I’m going to expect you to have my back. I’ve got two brothers and a sister, I grew up in a small, tight-knit family. So I’m going to live and die by my teammates, but I’m going to have his back along with all my other teammates while I have this Laker jersey on.”
It’s good to see the Lakers are a close team even when things aren’t going according to plan. Everyone, including Westbrook, has plenty of work to do to turn things around. It doesn’t look easy, but it would be even more complicated if the locker room was divided.
