"I'm okay with sacrificing” - Russell Westbrook disappointed with benching against Indiana Pacers, still committed to help the team
Russell Westbrook hasn't had the kind of start he was looking for with his hometown franchise, the LA Lakers.
Westbrook has failed to adapt to playing as a third-star on a team that also has the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As a result, the Lakers find themselves under .500 through 45 games, and Westbrook's underwhelming performances have played a part in that.
The 33-year-old was benched for the final four minutes of the fourth quarter of the LA Lakers' recent defeat against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. According to reports, head coach Frank Vogel and his staff had the green light to go ahead with that decision as the Lakers are running out of time to turn things around.
Russell Westbrook expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision made by the coaching staff and left the arena without speaking to reporters. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski spoke to the player upon the LA Lakers' arrival in Orlando for the first match of their six-game 'Grammy Awards' road trip.
Westbrook said he was disappointed not to play in that final stretch against the Pacers but claimed his ultimate goal remains to help the team win.
"Surprised, yes. I was disappointed I didn't go back in, but I'm more disappointed that we lost the damn game. I want to be able to be on the floor to help my teammates and be able to help our team win in games like that -- but that was a decision that was made."
Westbrook proceeded to talk about his contribution to making things work for the Lakers and how he is willing to sacrifice and do what is asked of him, saying:
"I have accepted everything that has been asked of me and tried to do it to the best of my ability. I'm not the ultimate decision-maker of if it's working -- or if it's not working. I'm OK with sacrificing some of the things that I've been able to do in this game to win, because that's the most important part of this game. I've done everything they've asked me to do to this point."
Russell Westbrook has shown glimpses of him changing his style of play but the execution hasn't been there yet as the LA Lakers have been bugged by injuries. They were without LeBron James for large swathes at the start of the year, and now Anthony Davis, who has been sidelined for almost a month.
On his fourth-quarter benching, Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook tells ESPN: "Surprised, yes. I was disappointed I didn't go back in, but I'm more disappointed that we lost the damn game." Story: es.pn/3FTKgGB
Can Russell Westbrook adapt to his role with the LA Lakers soon?
Russell Westbrook's usage rate has gone down to 27.7% with the LA Lakers this campaign. That's the lowest he has averaged since his sophomore year with the OKC Thunder.
LeBron James continues to be the primary decision-maker on the court for the side as Westbrook struggled with turnovers early on. He committed nearly 4.5 of them per game until the end of December.
“Playing the guys that I thought were going to win the game”😯
- Frank Vogel on benching Russell Westbrook https://t.co/3njOdgpOU2
It was always going to be tough for the nine-time All-Star to adjust to a lesser role at this stage of his career. Nevertheless, when locked in, Russell Westbrook can still prove to be a highly effective player. He has done an excellent job of cutting down his turnovers to just two per game since January.
It may take a while for the former OKC Thunder guard to play off the ball, but there is a great chance he will succeed in adapting to that process at some stage.