Russell Westbrook's cold, poker-face reaction leaves fans confused as 9x All-Star goes 0/11 from field against Clippers: "Solid, played hard - that's all you can ask for"
LA Lakers superstar Russell Westbrook had a forgettable night on Thursday. However, the guard left very little room for speculation with regard to his mood after the team's 97-103 loss to the LA Clippers.
The 'Battle of LA' marked the first meeting between the hometown rivals this season, with the Clippers coming out on top this time.
Suffering their second defeat of the new season, the LA Lakers will head into their next game in search of a win. However, the team may have some more pressing matters to address within their ranks before they can turn the results around.
In one of the poorest shooting displays of his career, Lakers superstar Russell Westbrook appeared absolutely unfazed after his performance. Although Westbrook wowed fans with his hustle and defensive play, the 9x All-Star struggled to find his shot.
While this was a pressing matter, Russell Westbrook raised more eyebrows with his comments after the game.
The guard fetched several questions about the game and other matters pertaining to the Lakers. However, his cold response to each question had fans perplexed.
When asked about some of the reasons behind the Lakers' loss on Thursday night, the superstar promptly responded:
"Not sure. No particular reason to fault. Competed."
When asked to assess his performance, he said:
"Solid, played hard - that's all you can ask for. Move on to the next one."
Westbrook also fetched a question regarding his recent comments about his hamstring injury. In reference to head coach Darvin Ham's response to Westbrook's comments, the guard was asked about how communication with Ham had been on the matter. He responded with:
"It's been good."
Russell Westbrook speaks with the media after the #Lakers 103-97 loss to the Clippers. https://t.co/yUCVe1EeNk
Whether Russell Westbrook's comments are a matter of concern for the future is up for speculation. However, the team certainly needs to find answers soon. With one of the worst displays of three-point shooting in recent years, the Purple and Gold have a lot to consider moving forward.
Russell Westbrook struggling to adapt to his role
Russell Westbrook has carved out a rather impressive career for himself. As the all-time leader in triple-doubles, Brodie is almost a shoo-in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
In light of his accomplishments in the past, Westbrook finds himself in a rather unfamiliar situation with the LA Lakers. After a failed campaign with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the 9x All-Star had a lot to prove to the fans at home this season.
Unfortunately, this pursuit hasn't started off on the finest note. With two losses in the bag, Westbrook has faced the brunt of some harsh criticism yet again. The loss against the Clippers on Thursday night only magnified this phenomenon.
After a horrendous shooting game where he notched zero field goals, Westbrook very obviously hasn't adapted to the role set out for him. While the superstar did a splendid job of locking down the defensive end, he was a virtual non-factor on the offensive side of things.
Several missed three-point attempts are to blame for this. However, those are the shots that Westbrook is expected to make in Ham's system.
So where does the fault lie in this regard?
With a long season ahead of them, the Lakers will hope to see Westbrook settle into his role sooner rather than later. But with fans demanding a trade, the organization will have a lot of problems to deal with.