The Lakers' goal this season is to contend for the title, and new arrival Westbrook has high hopes ahead of the start of the season. The Lakers formed a big three combination, but today Lakers fans have to accept a cruel truth. Westbrook is not suitable for the Lakers, and the Probability of the Lakers competing for the championship this season is getting lower and lower.
Today the team lost away to the 11th-place Kings of the West, with teams losing nearly double digits. Westbrook hit the nail on the head today, delivering the worst personal performance of 2022. With only 2 of 14 shots, he scored less than double digits. With just eight points and 12 rebounds, there was a funny scene on the big screen at the Kings' home court in today's game, and the big screen said: Westbrook is the coldest player in the game.
After the game, Westbrook said in an interview with reporters that his role has been changing this season, and he will not panic or blame. Fans seemed to feel his embarrassment. This is not the end, after the end of this game, Westbrook's poor performance has become the focus of discussion among Chinese and American netizens. Chinese and American netizens reached an agreement, and Twitter and Weibo Westbrook both rushed to the top of the hot search.
Why did Westbrook's performance today attract so much attention? Because the season has been halfway through, the Lakers should also have results. Westbrook, through the run-in of the first half of the season, should also find its own positioning and role. Unexpectedly, Westbrook's performance in the half season is getting worse and worse, and his current performance is not as good as in the early days of the game. Today's score is not in double figures, playing iron and steel.
The Lakers are sitting on the road to challenge the Kings, who are a weak team in the West this season, and the probability of making the playoffs should not be high. It is reasonable to say that the Lakers should be able to win, and James took the lead today, once again cutting 30+. Role players like Rivers and Munch also helped the team enough. Unexpectedly, it was Westbrook who dragged the team's hind legs. Westbrook scored eight points today, not to mention, he did not hit a sports goal in the crucial 4th quarter, and Westbrook rushed to shoot three points at the key moment of the game, which caused controversy. Westbrook was a little overconfident in this ball. Munch and James were both smooth at the time, wouldn't it be better to attack these two men?
Moreover, the King's defense in the final moments was very targeted. They made it clear that Westbrook would shoot and simply ignored it. Westbrook also shot three points, and the ball naturally ended with iron. A photo of the Kings on the big screen at home in Westbrook also seems to indicate that the Kings have a part of the credit for winning Westbrook today. If Westbrook hadn't played back-and-forth in the 4th quarter, the Kings would most likely have lost at home.
Westbrook's post-match remarks deserve our analysis, with Westbrook saying his role has been constantly shifting this season. He doesn't panic or blame. In fact, Westbrook should have lifted his spirits, because in this way his career would become unclear. Westbrook says his role is changing, but Westbrook can't actually change his role at all. The Lakers need Westbrook to play without the ball, but Westbrook simply doesn't have that ability. Westbrook's three-point shooting percentage is less than 30%, and into 2022, Westbrook shot all the iron from outside the three-point line. Westbrook naturally cannot play without a projection threat, and Westbrook's offensive ability to hold the ball at this stage is also declining. The breakthrough deterrent is not as good as before, and the performance in the middle distance is good and bad.
If Westbrook can really change roles, playing on the bench seems like a good choice. It can share the pressure of James, but also not form a crowded space on the court and the team. But it doesn't make sense to have a star who makes more than $40 million a year on the bench. The Lakers management did not have the courage to do so.
In short, Westbrook's poor performance has become a hot topic of discussion among Chinese and American netizens, when will Westbrook adjust back to the right track? Two years ago he was a good star, and now he has become one of the most embarrassing members of the Lakers. He didn't have much time to adjust. Dear officials, how do you think Westbrook did today? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below the article.