Rob Parker on Russell Westbrook’s career being tarnished: “I can’t believe how ugly some of the play has been”
The integrity of Russell Westbrook's career was questioned during Wednesday’s podcast episode of “The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker.” Parker talked about how ugly the former MVP has played lately.
Parker said:
“I can’t believe how ugly some of the play has been.”
Russell Westbrook's career is being tarnished
Russell Westbrook's addition to the LA Lakers in the offseason was supposed to be a blessing. The idea was that he would take the space of command from LeBron James, allowing “The King” to score in the ways he is best known for. It has instead been quite the opposite. Westbrook has gained popularity in Los Angeles for nothing other than his turnover rate.
Analyst Jason McIntyre, who attended a recent game in Los Angeles, spoke about the fans' perception of Westbrook on Wednesday on "Skip and Shannon: Undefeated":
“They do not like Russell Westbrook at all.”
Westbrook is averaging 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists this season. Both his scoring and assist averages are below his career marks. What holds is his turnover average, which sits at 4.5 per game, the highest of his career.
As a result, Westbrook has been heavily criticized. Earlier in the season, he arguably bit into the narrative and attempted to shoot too many times in a poor attempt to silence his haters. But what ended up happening was that his shooting percentage dropped and the criticism kept coming.
Rob Parker's description of some of Westbrook’s recent plays as “ugly” is light in comparison to what some other reporters have been saying.
Westbrook caught particular attention around the Feb. 10 trade deadline, when many thought he might be traded. The Lakers explained that they wanted to keep faith in the star.
Westbrook is going to have to tighten up his game as the Lakers (27-34), ninth place in the Western Conference, are set to face the hardest part of their schedule. Many are starting to doubt LA’s ability to make it beyond the play-in tournament, if they make it to the play-in tournament at all.
Westbrook, the 2016-17 MVP, is a nine-time All-Star, but he hasn't been selected for that honor in each of the past two seasons. The 33-year-old has seen his scoring average plummet since the last time he was an All-Star. He averaged 27.2 ppg in 2019-20 with the Houston Rockets.