"I don't know why Pat Beverley thinks because he has the purple-and-gold on he’s turned into Steph Curry"- NBA analyst believes LA Lakers backcourt is holding them back
The LA Lakers dropped their latest preseason outing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-113 at the Staples Center on Wednesday. The Lakers are now 1-4 in the preseason.
Despite the loss, the LA Lakers will be happy with the performances of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. James had 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor. He also had 11 rebounds. Davis, meanwhile, tallied a 19-point, 13-rebound game to go with two steals and two blocked shots.
The problem for the Lakers, though, was a familiar one. The starting backcourt of Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley just couldn't back up James and Davis. Westbrook and Beverley combined for seven turnovers, with Westbrook finishing with just five points and Beverley adding 10 on 3-of-8 shooting.
Their poor play had NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe fuming. On the latest episode of Undisputed, Sharpe had some harsh words for the LA Lakers backcourt, but he prefaced it with some praise for James and Davis.
"AD and LeBron looked unbelievable," Sharpe said. "They looked to be in midseason form. I was happy to see the way AD was playing. I wish he would cut down on some of his three-taking. I just wish he didn't shoot so much threes."
Sharpe then tore into Westbrook and Beverley:
"But the starting backcourt: four points, 0-for-7, 0-for-6, five turnovers in the first half. I don't know why Pat Beverley thinks because he has the purple-and-gold on he’s turned into Steph Curry, coz all of a sudden he just wants to launch up threes.
"Russ the first two times he got the ball, Skip, what did he do? How you make the same mistake every single time? Get the ball, step out of bounds... comes right back down the court again, get the ball again, what did he do Skip? Steps right out of bounds again.
"And then the shot selection. When do you realize that if you shoot 29 percent from the three, there's a reason why you're open. There's a reason why opposing teams are encouraging you to shoot those shots."
"It's not going to work" - Shannon Sharpe on LA Lakers' chances with Russell Westbrook
Sharpe believes that Russell Westbrook will be the reason why the LA Lakers' 2022-23 campaign will be underwhelming.
"He's a solo act. He's not a team player. Lakers are not going to do anything. I believe LeBron and AD will have excellent seasons this year. I really do. I like what I have seen thus far. Hopefully, they can stay healthy for a minimum of 65 games.
"But Skip it's not going to work. I'm done. I saw this last season. I've seen it in the preseason. He (Westbrook) is what he is... When he gets the ball, my spirits just dampen... Everytime he touches the ball, I don't expect good things to happen."
.@ShannonSharpe gives his takeaways from Lakers preseason game vs. T-Wolves:
"AD & Bron looked to be in midseason form, but the starting backcourt had 5 TOs in the 1st half. Pat Bev thinks he’s Steph Curry & when Westbrook touches the ball, I don’t expect good things to happen." https://t.co/thyQ4Nuvbh