"I hope they played that the last 14 years, too" - Russell Westbrook fires back after Sacramento Kings in-arena DJ plays a song mocking his shooting slump
Following the LA Lakers' 116-125 loss to the Sacramento Kings on January 12th, Lakers guard Russell Westbrook addressed the situation at the Golden 1 Center during the game.
With Westbrook's performance being subpar over the course of the past few games, the operations team of the Sacramento Kings had a little event planned for the visitors.
Playing the song "Cold As Ice" by Foreigner, among other songs, every time the LA Lakers star missed a shot, the Kings' ops team taunted Westbrook through the course of the game.
Addressing the gesture at the postgame press conference, Russell Westbrook fired back at the ops team with a zinger of his own.
"That’s funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. That’s cute.”
Russ on the Kings’ game ops. playing “You’re as cold as ice” every time he missed a shot: “(Laughs) That’s funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. That’s cute.”
Westbrook had a poor performance as he recorded eight points, six assists and 12 rebounds. Although his rebounding numbers do impress, his 2-14 shooting from the field in 37 minutes of game time continues to be a concern.
As Westbrook's shooting woes continue, the LA Lakers continue to struggle to maintain their form as a winning side.
Featuring some poor decision making and defensive lapses down the stretch, the Purple and Gold have a lot of problems to address as they find themselves at .500 yet again.
Russell Westbrook's slump and how it's affected the LA Lakers
Russell Westbrook was one of the biggest signings of the 2021 offseason. Signing a bonafide superstar in exchange for a number of role players, the LA Lakers acquired one of the most explosive combo guards in the modern era.
Westbrook's trade, however, was greeted with a lot of criticism. With chemistry issues being one of the concerns, Westbrook being paired with another ball-dominant player such as LeBron James was more of an issue.
Russell Westbrook displayed a streak of solid performances earlier in the season. After a cold start, Westbrook being a consistent contributor offered the LA Lakers some hope that their superstar had turned a corner.
Russell Westbrook over his last 3 games:
8 points (2-14 FG)
6 points (2-12 FG)
9 points (4-14 FG) https://t.co/aX6nfSGfho
Unfortunately, Westbrook's recent snag has adversely affected the Lakers. Although his turnover numbers going down have been an upside, the superstar guard has shown a tendency to stagnate the offense with the ball in his hands.
Displaying this problem in a key moment of the game against the Kings, Westbrook attempted a three from the left wing with over a minute to play as the Lakers rallied for a comeback.
With yet another miss, his 0-5 shooting from three was among the costly errors for the LA Lakers late in the game.
Although Westbrook has never been a great three-point shooter, the greater concern is with regards to his finishing at the rim. Westbrook's struggles to finish his layups have been a surprise that greatly affects the offensive impact the star can have.
With the Lakers hoping their superstar finds his shot again, the side will look to rise above .500 as they head into their next game against the Denver Nuggets on January 15th.