“You would have been better off with just a random bench player”

Russell Westbrook played the most number of games for the LA Lakers in the 2021-22 NBA season. But his performance was below expectations as he led the franchise in turnovers and recorded the second-most turnovers in the league.

His fairytale switch to the Lakers has quickly turned sour as the Lakers are now keen to trade him away from the franchise. His poor outing in the previous season has placed him in the news for the wrong reasons.

NBA analyst Nick Wright, on his podcast “What’s Right With Nick Wright,” took a swipe at Westbrook. Wright stated that he was a hindrance to the Lakers winning every time he was on the court.

The Fox Sports analyst thinks that the Lakers would have been better off with a random player coming off the bench. He also shared that the 9-time NBA All-star was not a good fit and his trade was not a success.

“Russ was a hindrance to winning when he was on the court,” Wright said. “You would have been better off with just a random bench player. I’m not saying that’s who he’s going to be for the rest of his career, but that’s what he was last year. He didn’t fit, it didn’t work, he also seemed to get worse at the things that he hadn’t been good at before.”

What does the 2022-23 season hold for Russell Westbrook?

With a career average of 22.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 1021 games, Russell Westbrook has established himself as one of the greats. He made the NBA’s exclusive list of the 75 greatest players in the history of the league.

While his run with the LA Lakers has not gone as planned, it does not by any means define his career. During his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the guard snatched two scoring and assist champion awards each. He was also phenomenal in his one-year stint with the Houston Rockets, leading the league in assists and the franchise in rebounds and steals.

If the 2017 MVP finally gets traded away from the Lakers, he might get back his form with the absence of pressure.

The arrival of Patrick Beverley could affect Russell Westbrook’s future in LA.

Westbrook is more likely to be off the Lakers’ active roster by the start of training camp, a source close to the situation told @jovanbuha.

More from the Pat Bev trade

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The arrival of Patrick Beverley could affect Russell Westbrook’s future in LA. Westbrook is more likely to be off the Lakers’ active roster by the start of training camp, a source close to the situation told @jovanbuha.More from the Pat Bev trade ⤵️theathletic.com/3537009/2022/0… https://t.co/k2cytBsY7g