DISASTER Russell Westbrook stint with Lakers was team’s fault, claims team’s former star Patrick Beverley

Former Lakers guard Patrick Beverly blames organisation for Westbrook's woeful performance as a Laker.

DISASTER Russell Westbrook stint with Lakers was team’s fault, claims team’s former star Patrick Beverley

Patrick Beverly and Russell Westbrook (Credit: Bleacher Report)

Former MVP Russell Westbrook joined the Los Angeles Lakers with Lebron James and Anthony Davis to contend for an NBA championship, but what resulted was anything but championship basketball. Westbrook averaged 17.4 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.9 rebounds in two seasons with the Lakers, a far worse production than anticipated by the Lakers.

The Lakers brought in 2013-14 All-Defensive second-team guard Patrick Beverley to fortify their dreadful defense. Beverley and Westbrook were traded at last season’s trade deadline. Beverly was unhappy with the way the Lakers handled the Westbrook situation. Beverly took offense to the Lakers, making Westbrook a scapegoat for their woeful performance.

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On the Gil’s Arena podcast hosted by former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, Beverley voiced his concerns about the same. “All the beef about Russ, maybe none of that happens,” Beverley said. “It’s ways that you have to operate your team without over-managing it or over-coaching it. Sometimes, you just have to put the dominoes out there.”

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Related: “F**k ’em ALL” – Kyrie Irving sends STRONG message to Russell Westbrook in surprising IG post

Who was responsible for the Russell Westbrook andLos Angeles Lakers awful season

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (Image via X/Twitter)
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (Image via X/Twitter)

The Los Angeles Lakers finished the 2021-2022 season with a 33-49 record, good for 11th in the Western Conference. The Lakers, with Westbrook, went on to miss the playoffs in the 2021-2022 season. This was due to a number of factors, including Anthony Davis and Lebron James missing 42 and 26 games, respectively, due to injury. 

The Lakers missed the play-in game after a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Although James had multiple virtuoso performances, including 56 points against the Golden State Warriors, it was not enough to put the Lakers over the hump. The Lakers dismantled the 2019-2020 championship in order to facilitate the Westbrook trade, sending Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and picks to the wizards in exchange for Westbrook. Poor Roster construction and injuries haunted the Lakers throughout the season. 

Aging players were also a major concern for the Lakers, affecting their defense. Their 113.3 Drtg was a bottom-five defense in the league. To address the poor defense, the Lakers waived Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, and other players at the end of the 2021-2022 season.

After starting the 2022-2023 season with a 2-10 record, the Lakers traded Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn at the trade deadline in order to bring younger players like Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, D’Angelo Russell, and 3-point specialist Malik Beasley.