"Bron had to change... Everybody had to make sacrifices" - Anthony Davis reflects on challenges that Russell Westbrook faced with LA Lakers this season
Anthony Davis has opened up on the problems faced by his superstar teammate Russell Westbrook following the LA Lakers' official elimination from the play-in tournament.
There has been a lot of discussion regarding the reasons for the Lakers' struggles this season. On 'Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group,' Davis provided his take on the same and also on Westbrook's struggles in his debut campaign in LA, saying:
"Bron had to change; everybody had to change. Everybody had to make sacrifices. It was tough for him (Westbrook) to adjust to that. It was tough for me to adjust to that when I first got here playing with somebody of Bron's caliber, because I was so used to, 'OK, here, get the ball to AD, and we'll figure it out."
I asked Anthony Davis about Russell Westbrook's often turbulent relationship with fans this season, how he and LeBron had communicated with him, and if he thought it could be healed. Davis' response was four minutes long, and he wrapped up with this point on Russ' role: https://t.co/8o30BXvqhi
Possessing a similar ball-dominant playing style to LeBron James, Westbrook had very little time to adjust to his superstar teammate, with James also missing significant time due to knee and ankle injuries.
With injuries wreaking havoc, the presence of three superstars couldn't take the Lakers into the postseason.
Will Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook share the floor for LA Lakers again?
After a disappointing season, the knives are out for the LA Lakers. Putting aside on-court performances, media pressure has also forced the hands of the management and the Lakers' front office.
Despite his uncertain future, Westbrook did reveal his intentions to run things back with James and Davis next season. Given the miserable state of the roster due to injuries, the trio did not share the floor together for a significant amount of time. However, there's a possibility Westbrook might not return to LA next season.
After attracting a tremendous amount of flak for the Lakers' failures this season, the superstar guard has been projected as the root of all the team's woes. Although his performances weren't what many expected from him, it's believe Westbrook is being used as a scapegoat to cover up issues in roster building and management.
Recent rumors about Westbrook sugges that the Charlotte Hornets have expressed interest in acquiring the 33-year old in the offseason.
Charlotte has been increasingly mentioned by league insiders as a team to watch on the Russell Westbrook trade front, per @TheSteinLine
(Via marcstein.substack.com/p/trading-russ…) https://t.co/NwN6opDBiq
The situation has reached a boiling point as the relationship between Westbrook and the Lakers organization worsened over the course of the season. While the player showed a lot of promise initially, things have gone downhill now.
Considering the same, Westbrook could be better off with a different team. With talks of trading Anthony Davis as well, the LA Lakers could be virtually unrecognizable next season.