Is Russell Westbrook Unfairly Scapegoated On The Lakers?
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- JJ Redick and Bradley Beal (The Washington Wizards) discuss the play of Russell Westbrook on The Los Angeles Lakers. They also ask if he's been unfairly scapegoated by the media.
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The bigger worry is AD. Not comforting to know that he sits out the 2nd game of the preseason because of a sore back.
Exactly!!!!
lakers just tanking so they can draft victor wembanyama
@@jeremypcleung I think new Orleans has their pick though
He’s made of glass big men breakdown without the correct routine and dedication.
Lakers dumb af didn’t trade dem picks season already over
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Being a point guard on a Lebron/Luka/Harden/Jokic team is way harder than on a Giannis/Booker/Durant team. You can still be the PG but in name only and that has to mess with you. Some stars need the ball and when they have it 24/7 you zone out a bit.
Payed 50 mil a year, you are expected not to zone out at work, cmon.
Joker dominated the ball less than all those players. He held the ball least amount of time..so it don't apply to him
@@MindfulAttraction2.0 and Murray isn’t a passer he’s more of shooting guard. He ain’t tryna play make
@@ryankayombya7576 Give Lebron 20 touches a game and he'll do way more damage than zoning out
@@MindfulAttraction2.0 Joker is quick to make decisions with the ball and such a great passer than coaches want him making plays rather than anyone else on the court. Having CP3 on that team would make him a spot up shooter instead of a great PG.
If you just do the eye test and watch the lakers on a consistent basis last year, russ was just really bad. Stats aside, he was bad defensively, turning the ball over a ton, and his shot selection never changed even tho he was continuously missing shots horribly such as airballs or off the backboard. It was tough to watch.
Believe it or not LA Russ TOed even less than he has the past 7 seasons. Most likely because he wasn't the primary ball handler. I like Russ but he definitely has been a TO machine throughout his career.
Every star averages around 45 FG percentage and 3 TO per game 😂 but ppl make a big deal about it when he does it because the media makes u feel like he’s missing a bigger percentage of his shots.
@@sg-duwap_yt8209 but those players are good shooters and make good decisions
@@sg-duwap_yt8209 Russ averages like 4.5 TO's per game amd shoots at or below 30% from 3. His shot selection is possibly the worst in the league. Don't just look at 45% from the field and think that he's fine
Go watch undisputed you clown
Next time someone accuses you of being selfish just say:
“It’s not that I’m a control freak, it’s just I’d rather I make a mistake then you make a mistake” 😅😅😅😅
Last year Russ looked like he was in a system that didn’t fit him
And why should it fit him and not Lebron James and AD? Why didnt he adjust? ....because of the flaws in his game.
@@ryankayombya7576 you should ask the lakers management tho… why bringing a player that didn’t 100% fit and then blame everything on him. That’s nonsense. It’s a miss on management and Leborn
@@ryankayombya7576 Lebron as the best player should have adjusted
If russ has a weakness why not have Lebron and ad play roles to cover it up?
They both can shoot better than him so it would make sense for them to play off more
Also they been saying Lebron want a pg but then they have Lebron playing like a pg
Let Russ play his game Lebron and ad is skilled enough to play around it
Russ and pg worked
Russ and Beal worked
So Russ and bron can work if they let run actually run the offense
@@nitoshadow russ can not be a primary ball handler in that system from last year, that’s terrible
@@Christappedin it won’t be the same they got a new coach and some new players
Jj will always cap for players. He's great at interviewing but also a good capper
Or maybe he knows more than you
@@checkthis5980 or perhaps there is a bias.
@@NewClassicCarReviews there’s only a bias when his opinion differs from yours lol
You’re right he’s biased towards players. I’m a laker fan and I saw every game and I can guarantee that Russ was the main reason we sucked. It’s the fit and the fact he’s not as athletic anymore
@@jkid5627 so the fact that AD missed 40 games and Bron missed 20 games wasnt the main reason? What about the fact we started DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore for 20 games? What about the fact that our best defender was trevor ariza or avery bradley?
Watched the two preseason game, never a fan of him but I have to say Westbrook is a lot more in tune with the team now, he don’t rush the game and minimized turnovers, he don’t force his shots and willing to pass the ball to open man.
bro he shot 33% and had 4 turnovers in like 15 minutes lol
@@markybrickenmort8142 21 mins and he played pretty well over all made some mistakes but its preseason
@@markybrickenmort8142 you didn’t watch the game and it shows
Im not one to call strangers on the Internet casuals but if you really think preseason games mean anything for the regular season then yeah your a casual
Just say you only read Boxscores LMAO Russ definitely playing better this season compared to early last year. Still needs to hustle bit, but overall better
Brad beal knew jj was trying to politely phrase his words on the topic of Westbrook
Thank you JJ for bringing this topic up. Too many people slander this man
The nba players can say westbrook hasn't declined and all that but we all can see how he's playing on that court every night
@@SupaHans04 Yup and i watch RW every game and its pretty terrible. This new media just protecting each other. This is gonna get old so quick watch lol
@Gbone Westbrook deserved the slander he got last year.
He played awful last year
@@SupaHans04 Yeah, and I'm sure you're going to know more than the people actually on the court with him. What do the NBA players know, right? Please...stop typing.
Russ played bad last year but my problem was he was nowhere near the only issue. It was a lot of things watching them the whole year was rough. Hoping Russ turns it around. Like the vibe of this team with the new coach
His character was not in question, his game was. If you're one of the 5-10 highest paid players in the NBA, you deserve to have your flaws criticised. And this argument about Russ playing hard is not a good one. He plays hard only on offence, which is primarily because he's largely effective both as a scorer and as a playmaker, in the open court in transition and not nearly as much in the half-court where he gets exposed.
You also have to look at the team as a whole and how They literally had no shooters to space the floor. So yes in the half court it highlights his poor 3pt shooting. But I think it’s on coaching to still be able to utilize Russ to his strengths and not his weaknesses by sitting him in the corner all game.
This comment is clrealy form a person who did not watch all of the Lakers games. Unlike the other 2 star players, Russ was on a BRAND NEW team and that team was NEVER 100% HEALTHY! Russ played more games than ANYONE on that team! He had to deal with a terrible coach who made the worst lineups AND deal with AD and LBJ dealing with injuries. IF THE LAKERS WAS 100% FOR EVEN 75% OF LAST YEAR Y'all would not be coming at Russ like y'all do. Its beyond ridiculous to see you lames disrespect him over every little thing. Y'all literally made me hate basketball, y'all showed me how childish the NBA fanbase truly is.
That is the point people has been going at his character DAMN NEAR ALL SEASON. Then they only talk about the bad games and never talk about the clutch shots he hit last season. And how a 14 year NBA vet get exposed? That doesn’t make any sense😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
@@thr33z11 Exactly what I was thinking😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
@@thr33z11 How a 14 year vet get exposed? This man listen to Skip TOO MUCH😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Listening to the podcasts of the “new media”, I always have to rmb to take it with a grain of salt cause players will always tend to empathize with other players and have their biases. I like listening to jj about other topics, interesting stories and perspectives all around but when it comes to other player’s assessment, he can nvr constructively criticise them. He says russ plays hard but u don’t c him play off ball on offense or care about defense. He says russ hasn’t gotten worse and is just capped by the current system when his free throw and layup percentages keeps dropping every year. Agree with jj in regards to the lakers issues spanning many layers outside of russ but clearly russ isn’t helping
I just commented a similar thing the “new media” don’t want to criticize nobody
If Russ isn’t helping, then what is AD doing ?? 😂
yeah thats the one good thing about the regular media, they're not afraid to critique players
THANK YOU
Great analysis
I can honestly say I've never blamed Russ for the bad season. He stayed healthy throughout the season and it's not his fault the majority of his teammates were injured.
he's awful. so bad.
dude it’s ab QUALITY NOT QUANTITY remember that. just bc he played 78 games that doesn’t mean it wasn’t his fault
18, 8, 8 on a down year…not to mention the loss of AD at times and Bron playing center. Russ didn’t do well, but to blame him only for the Lakers season. There’s no way.
Facts
12ppg* because the 6T/Os per game. 18 minus 6 Turnovers equal 12ppg
@@kalvinbaber5484 is that common core math you’re using /s
@@thelastghost9628 it's the truth
The Lakers problems were on DEFENSE. They were fine offensively
THIS!
They sucked at free throws,threes and don’t even get started about turnovers
@@teannatrump2622 all that stuff was wayyyy overblown by the media. The real problem was that their older lineup couldn’t stop anyone
Russ was nitpicked bc the system in LA this year emphasized all of his weaknesses to an insane degree. It’s the front offices fault for ever thinking it could work
Yeah, i agree. But is it too much to ask for him to work on his weaknesses? I mean, i think all he needs to do is turn the ball over less and play better defense. It would be nice if his 3-point shooting improved, but i'm not even sure that's absolutely necessary.
The system emphasized his weakness? Lakers had a great defense the year before Russ🤣🤣
All he had to do was use his athleticism and competitiveness everyone talks about to help the defense … but he was awful
And a guy on 40 mil cant hit some wide open shots?
It’s why he’s getting along with Beverley now that they’re teammates
PatBev and Russ never had problems. If you heard PatBev talk about Russ at the end of last season when he did that week on ESPN, the talking heads wanted to continue to dump on Russ, but PatBev _defended_ him. PatBev made _me_ verify on Basketball Reference when he said Russ was second in scoring behind LeBron, and led the team in steals, assists, and rebounds. Listen to the story about how Russ got courtside seats for PatBev's sister when the TWolves were in L.A. Don't get it twisted...they were friends off the court _before_ PatBev came to L.A.
There was bad blood LOL Bev was reason Russ was out with a blown knee from Bev diving into it. Obviously overtime it gets better & now that they’re teammates they’re cool but don’t say they never had beef
@@sayomom Don't take my word for it. They've both talked about it, and were upset about it when it happened, but both of them said there was no carryover, and this was _before_ they were teammates.
I love Russ one of my fav players not on my team. He was terrible last year, absolutely terrible. No hate, just facts. I hope he balls out this year
I feel like he knows how to play the game better than anybody. I do think the media focus a lot on his turnovers and miss cues than what he actually does great. He wasn’t gonna have the same stats of course but I think his game doesn’t suit playing with Bron
Russ has been my favourite player for the past 10 years and I watched him closely. Ever since that young OKC Team made the Finals I was hooked.
He improved year by year and was on KDs level if not sometimes better than him in those OKC days on numerous occasions.
The season KD left, and he had his MVP season was the most amazing thing to watch! Every god damn game that dude delivered highlight after highlight. Of course he was able to go crazy on a bad team and there were no real expectations for the season.
I don't know what happened to his shot and his free throws but they steadily declined season after season from that point on. Russ was known to have a great mid range pull up, free throw line extended. He attacked full speed, then stopped on a dime and was shooting that mid range jumper pretty consistently. Also his free throws, he was easily an 80% shooter.
Now, his free throws are definitely not what they used to be and his whole shooting performance is as we all know pretty bad. I have no idea what happened! Yes, he never was a great 3 point shooter but in his MVP season when it came to the 4th quarter he was hitting them!
I really hope he bounces back somehow but I'm losing faith as this has been going on for a few years now. His athelticism is still there but declining and Russ unfortunately has not a lot of other options to impact the game. He can be a really good defender when he wants to but he simply doesn't put in the same amount of effort.
I just want to see him win, but it gets harder and harder year after year.
And yes AD had a worse season on the Lakers last year than him, Mr. Day to Day-vis should be in his prime physically.
He did out play KD some games but that's to be expected when he was also handling the ball more and shooting more than KD.
Never was he on KD'S level. It was KD's ability to play so we'll with other stars that let Westbrook have the ball like a true PG and even shoot more than KD.
Basically KD was so great that in spite of having Westbrook as his sidekick he made people believe they could win
They changed the rules for free throws, which interrupted his routine. He always - back to high school - walked back to center court before returning to the line between shots, and after the change, players were no longer allowed to do that. His free throw percentage plummeted, and he never really adjusted.
Before him it was kuzma. His online fan base scapegoats everything .
If you watched almost every game the Lakers played last year you would know he was abysmal on both ends of the floor. Made mindless decisions when it came to shot selection and committed head scratching turnovers both of which have been criticisms of his game since his rookie year. Its truly funny that him being a "scapegoat" is even a question. He had "solid stretches" in a few games but overall he negatively impacted the team whenever he was on the floor. The Lakers would have to sometimes bench him in the fourth to put together a few possessions of good basketball and to undo his garbage defensive effort and brainless turnovers. Of course he wasnt the entire cause of the Lakers troubles but he was a huge contributor
I’m convinced anyone defending his last season didn’t really watch him play. It was embarrassing at times.
Facts
The one time he was benched for the entire 4th, the team lost horribly. HORRIBLY.
@@holden6104 Bruh we were losing horribly even when he wasn't benched
This comment is clearly form a person who did not watch all of the Lakers games. Unlike the other 2 star players, Russ was on a BRAND NEW team and that team was NEVER 100% HEALTHY! Russ played more games than ANYONE on that team! He had to deal with a terrible coach who made the worst lineups AND deal with AD and LBJ dealing with injuries. IF THE LAKERS WAS 100% FOR EVEN 75% OF LAST YEAR Y'all would not be coming at Russ like y'all do. Its beyond ridiculous to see you lames disrespect him over every little thing. Y'all literally made me hate basketball, y'all showed me how childish the NBA fanbase truly is.
I mean it was never a good fit, right?
This show has made me a Bradley Beal fan. Didn’t know much about him being from Atlanta
Yes. But that happens to a lot of players who play with LeBron James.
JJ come on bruh Russell hasn't been running back on D for like 5 years now. This "he plays so hard" notion needs to stop. He drives out of control a lot and sometimes it works.
Exactly they biased😂
No defense NBA no just Russ
It's definitely not fair as to how the media picks on russ. We all know that he doesn't shoot the 3 ball like steph but the guy can go and there's no denying this.
Because I'm a Georgetown grad, I've always had a predisposition to abhor JJ as a player (all Duke players, tbh). In retrospect, of course, that's silly because Georgetown lost national relevance for the most part toward the end of Big John's career. Though we did beat an unbeaten Duke squad in 2006 and a FF in 2007 with JT3 but that's been about it. TLDR version: the rivalry or animosity was only a figment of the Hoya imagination. Duke couldn't have thought less about Georgetown. That all said, JJ is fantastic in his new role as an interviewer/podcaster/analyst. Really excellent. And, apparently, even in retirement, he's still spending his summers in my home town. I've seen him at the local high school working out when he was still playing and around the village now that he's retired. I know at least a half a dozen people that have chatted with him (or played with him on the court) and they all have been surprised by just how "normal" he is. I wish him nothing but the best in his new career that, clearly, he's excelling at already.
I feel like if Russ gets traded and bought out somewhere this season, or when he’s a free agent this offseason, he could sign with the wizards and him and brad could be a strong duo for a while
Yes. It's a LeBron team feature since he came into the league. Russ just the latest victim
No. Russ wasn't playing well even before he came to the Lakers. Despite what box score stats say.
How can they know if it worked with AD always being hurt that’s who should be getting blamed
Super surprised JJ is taking the players side
Does Tommy only have that one pajama outfit? Can we get this man paid? 🤣
Where you play and system makes a difference it’s the same with James harden. They played in systems where the controlled the ball the whole game and know you have to learn off ball when you never really played that way
He wasn’t scapegoated. Hearing current players speak on Russ is comedy. JJ also sugarcoating this. 18-7-7 -4TO and 50TS% is not good. And he’s getting paid 47 mil. Gtfo
Jj trippin he probably didn’t watch the games😂
Beal can talk about how good their flow was in DC all he wants. Fact is they ended below 500 and the 8th seat with tripple double Russ and 31 PPG Beal. They should have been waay better with those two all stars and those statlines.
Who else was on that team worth talking about?
Exactly. They didn't have the best help and the injuries too. Those two in DC was amazing to watch and definitely could've run it back
That wizards team was literally a g league team without Russ and Beal, they carried them to the playoffs.
youre ignoring the fact that they had injuries earlier in that year including russ. once they got healthy they were on a winning streak. couldve easily end up more above .500
They were the most effected team by Covid that year plus they had a lot of injuries at the beginning of the season, after the trade deadline they went on a run. in their last 25 games they finished the season 18-7. Not to mention outside of Russ, hachimura, Beal, and gafford the team was really bad. Guys like ish smith, garrison Mathews, robin Lopez and Alex Len were playing serious rotation minutes they had basically no depth.
New media was a nice idea but its just players and ex players being nice to eachother. There's no shot they truly belive Russ wasn't the biggest problem on that team last season. I dont hate new media at all, it's just not an upgrade on what we already have
Not even just his direct impact on the team. It's the opportunity costs the Lakers paid in giving up players like KCP & Montrezl Harrell. Plus the first round pick & enormous black hole of a contract that keeps the Lakers from signing a couple/few solid role players to complement Lebron & AD.
@@aaronpeters6209exaclty man, both directly and indirectly hes botched what couldve been a championship team. New media won't tell that story though cause they are incredibly biased, they have amazing stories but can't take anything they say seriously
@@patrickhanlon2325 thats why old media is going anywhere
I agree with you, these guys are the best of friends and there is nothing wrong with that. Nobody gonna tell it like it is though
If you never watched the NBA and solely watched the new media you would think Ben Simmons was a top 5 player and Russ top 10
When I think about media coverage on Russ, immediately Skip n Shannon are the first anchors that come to mind. They spearheaded what felt like a complete smear campaign
AD will not even play half the games this season tho. Let’s get to that
watching this makes me realize even more how much u and other youtubers & influencers go through and don’t let their fans know for them not to worry. ur the most genuine person JJ. i wish u and ur family the best always!! loved this video hands down one of my favs! thanks for being so vulnerable with us.
Scapegoat that lead the lakers in every stat but 2😂😂
One of the Highest paid player in NBA history. He is the most consistent player to ever shoot the ball…. On the side of the back board and everywhere else not called the ring
He’s weighing down the lakers
Yes he is! AD is the problem and no one wants to stand up to him!!! Dude already injured 🤔 "back tightness" lmao it's so frustrating. Especially when they blame Russ
His injuries are a problem. When he's healthy he's certainly the 2nd best player on the team. However, arguably not to the tune of a max contract. Especially considering his ill health.
can we get some stands for mics...geez
As a wizard fan give us Westbrook back we will give you picks(I’m not a wizards fan😂)
I want to fade jj sideburns into his beard 😅
of course, its easier to blame the new guy instead of holding yourself accountable. Basketball is a team game, if you think one guy make you lose, question the other 4.
Russ has always had bad tendencies in his playstyle. However he was always respected UNTIL he joined the Lakers.
Plus he was allowed to play his game and be a pg and not forced to play off ball
@@nitoshadow Not good enough to be a #1 and have the ball in his hands all the time. No value as a shooter, so as to provide little value off the ball. Defense sketchy as well. Smaller PG will on average provide less in this area anyways.
@@aaronpeters6209 he not small for a pg and I never said he should be the number 1 😂 he a pg let him be the pg Lebron can still be the number one scoring option
Pg suppose to set the offense up, facilitate and put others in a good position
Scoring isn’t the main thing that’s why they having shooting guards
@@nitoshadow I always forget he's six three.
Any G league/Bench wing player can dribble the ball up the court and set up an offense.
Being the #1/#2 guy means you have the ball in your hands, alot. You Facilitate, create plays (playmaker).
He hasnt even done an average job in this regard since his MVP seasons.
Which is why he's liable to finish out his career on three different teams in four seasons if he doesn't change.
@@aaronpeters6209 not necessarily cuz some big mean are the number 1 and 2 options like kat and embiid
Absolutely they been disrespectful to the legend for a couple years now nobody disrespects oscar Robertson and that's who Russell is the present day oscar Robertson show some respect to the walking triple double!!!
Westbrook being a great player 5 years ago means nothing today. He was statistically one of the worst defender last year and everyones been guarding him by letting him shoot anywhere he wants to except at the rim, and even then he missed the most dunks in the league. He was the reason the Rockets lost the playoffs in the bubble and hes the biggest reason the Lakers were terrible last year.
i got a feeling you just salty westbrook broke his record
Oscar wasn’t stat padding like Russ
Oscar was hated during his time, do some research, kid
Bruh they aren't being disrespectful they're just telling the truth about Russ' game. He's a great player and will get his numbers but he ain't a championship player like Oscar was. If you watch the games you'll see that he can't shoot, doesn't play any defense at all, is a turnover machine and makes some of the dumbest decisions I've seen a player make. And watching his interviews it seems like he cares more about whether or not he got a triple rather than winning not a championship player
Funny how the same players that try to defend Russ don't wanna play with him.
It’s funny that the media will have you think Russ is a selfish horrible teammate and only cares about himself . But every single teammate he’s ever had preaches for the man. But somehow the media thinks they know better, Russ is the same player that he’s been in the past years. Same with other players Lebron is still the same exact player he was when he came in .
You clearly haven't watched lakers ball if you think russ hasn't regressed. He's awful now compared to OKC days
Lebron is the exact same player when he came in? To what? The league 20 years ago? The lakers?
Just silly
@@clutch7548 he is the same player . He’s an average shooter . Below average free throw shooter , amazing driver/finisher . Amazing passer , great defender . Only thing that has changed over the years is his defense has went down a little and his shot volume has went up
@@brooo4219 watched every game. He didn’t put up the same numbers due to his team comp . I mean the lakers this past year had like 30+ different starting lineups the most by any team . The floor was hardly ever spaced so what he did best attacking and dishing was a lot harder .
He wouldn't be if his contract was so high, Westbrook gives 100% in his games, but there's moments where he hinders himself because he reacts off of emotion sometimes too much, which leads to bursts of bad decisions. I believe sometimes players just don't mesh well with others, however; I would like to see AD be back to 110%
Topics like this is where you see players biases lol
Lakers management should take most of the blame for that poorly constructed roster. Still don’t understand why they executed that trade for Russ.
Do JJ Redick critique anybody? Like damn according to him no one deserves any kind of criticism
That's why the wizards are going to sign Westbrook next season
Oh please god no :(
@@3self come on man I think beal wants him back
U guys will get 4 20pt scorers lol and I want to ask you do U like porzingis?
Completely forgot Russ was on the wizards
Russell's big mistake was not getting injured. Since LeBron and AD missed so much the team needed a scapegoat.
The short answer is yes. The long answer no one has the nerve to point out is "Russ is only good as a ball dominant stat getter. Take the ball from him now he's pressing because he can't shoot efficiently or be effective off ball. Which means LeBron should handle it less. God forbid LeBron sacrifice his 7 assists a game to let Russ average his triple double." (waits for the "LeBron shouldn't have to change at all to fit the team he has" comments)
JJ
What's the go with the cross legged lol
My God
i thought this podcast had no bullshit...i was wrong, especially lately.
It’s not “knit picking” to acknowledge he doesn’t play defense and leads the nba in turnovers. Both of those are things that affect winning
This channel knows how to get clicks , I’ll give them that
I wish russ stayed in washington. Better fit. So much more fun to watch. Because the wizards actually needed someone with his skill set. I hate to say it but on the lakers his role is exceedingly redundant. The only way i personally think it works with him in LA is if hes running the offense majority of the time or playing 6th man majotity of the time. Theres not really much room for improvment if you have one foot in one foot out
I'm a huge Russ fan, Wizards fan too. He sucked last year. Everyone on that team had a down year, yes. But Russ, many times, just looked soooo bad out there. I do think he'll bounce back this year, borderline all-star.
Russ’s effort was never questioned. His efficiency and decision making was questioned. Because he wasn’t efficient and he lost them a lot of games with his decision making.
What happens if you’re building with a crew and they ask you to dig a ditch and you stacked fifty cinderblocks instead? You get fired. Not cause you didn’t try, but because you didn’t do what you’re supposed to do.
I watched 79 of the 82 games in the season. Russ may not have been the only issue but acting like bro was playing bad cause of his usage rate being down is dumb. He’s a cone defensively and refused to change how he is as a player cause his ego so fragile. That being said so far these preseasons game the team looks rejuvenated and Russ although still a come defensively has been fun to watch. Already feels different.
Westbrook needs an ibaka or a Chris Bosh even like Marc gasol. Someone who’s money from MIDRANGE but can also be a bailout in the post if the big picks up. His strengths are incredible if he can play to them but when he can’t you see all his weaknesses in 4k.
LA is a bad fit. I thought it would have worked out better but even if he changes his ways you’re essentially asking him to play to his weaknesses.
@@SosaA11 I wouldn't say davis midrange is money
I don't think it has to be mutually exclusive. Westbrook was not the only reason for the Lakers bad season and the media hype train did in fact overplay Westbrook as the trojan horse to the Lakers downfall. This being said, he was a large contributor to the issues. Put simply, he was not the fit needed for the role.
The other issue that tends to get overlooked or at least not brought up from players, is that while "all players have flaws", not all players are making the salary that Russ is making. I don't mean this in an envious way, and I completely understand why JJ or Beal may not be the person that should be talking about it. But from a team building standpoint; you cannot have a guy pulling that kind of resources from a team while also being a large contributor to their issues. Whether he's 20%, 50%, or 90% to blame for the issues is irrelevant. When you're one of the highest payed on the team, you need to be propelling the team forward, not backwards. For the type of game Russ plays, it's almost ironic to team him up with Lebron. It's a cold day in hell before Russ has the keys over a guy like Lebron, not to mention a healthy AD. So, why pick up a guy that's not cohesive to the one(s) leading the team? Just a weird and bad situation all around.
JJ has basically opened a PR company for NBA players
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
JJ just ask the hard question bro don’t hesitate
Wtf JJ Did You Not Watch Westbrick Play 🤦🏽♂️
I’m tired of people crying and complaining and babying Russ. Last season he was the 4th worst 3pt shooter, the worst free throw shooter, averaged the most turnovers per game… What the hell are you supposed to do with that?!?
JJ you right , Russ usage was down but still had most turnovers combined with worst jumpshooter and garbage free throws
He was definitely the scapegoat in LA last year. He will be this year if they don't win or make the playoffs. LA should tank and try to get 7'4 Victor Wembanyama next year.
Pelicans have their pick
New Media defending players is awesome but genuine criticism is needed for validity. It's obvious that Russ decline in athleticism coupled with his lack of shooting and refusal to change the way he plays has rendered him ineffective on a contender. He can be unfairly scapegoated for Laker's problems while also being criticized for his inability to adapt, no need to sugarcoat it
Yeah they putting all the blame on Russ
the lakers fans expect russ to average 30 with bron and AD on the team. I blame the front office for dishing out 47 mil a year on russ and not getting shooters to surround the team
You’re dead wrong. No one expects Russ to avg 30
@@tntcrewEJ cap
Yes, Queen James knew West was ball dominate and to ask him to change is dumb.
Hold him accountable for playing bad is not unfair… he played terrible. Russell knows that even if he might not admit. Calling him out of his name and calling him west brick and all this other stuff IS unfair. Players seem to not be able to gauge the difference because they want to protect each other which is okay, but they get Jaded sometimes between the two.
This the only reason why i dont like this new media thingy. See how Jj trying to protect RW. If u watch RW the way he plays is buck wild and just have no control.
They should trade AD to my honest opinion. For someone like Bradley or a KAT type player.
PG,Beal, KD and other all had their best season with Russ
Lakers fans we're going to blame Russ for every loss before he first put on a Lakers uniform... It is up to the coaching staff to put each player in a position where they can be successful to say it is WB's fault because he's not as slow and lazy as the rest of the team is silly
It’s up to the players to change their attitude and open their own eyes to the situation that got THEMSELVES IN AND IMPROVE.He hasn’t done any of that so yeah it’s his fault.
I feel Brad at @2:48, if you’re the star and you’re going to get blamed regardless, why not YOU make the mistake rather than a teammate. All the blame falls on u anyways so make it worth it. He didn’t say that but Russ goes down with the ship he’s on. He doesn’t put the blame on others or anything. He was scapegoated but every lebron team has a scapegoat because the media contractually isn’t allowed to blame lebron
all the russ hate within the fanbase is making me ashamed to be a laker fan. he's gonna thrive under ham this year
JJ see if you can get Russ on the show
I wish Russ and Beal stayed together
i wonder if beal watches westbrook play
He's kind of being scapegoated. But at the same time he really is playing terrible.
Just wanna keep stating this turnovers aren’t good but I definitely think people put too much into the stat when you factor in the fact that immediately after a turn over you can get a stop and both void each other out…… if you take a look at the all time turnovers list you’ll also see how many great players are on the list ….it’s definitely a overblown stat
Russ doesn’t play hard on the defensive end and it was painfully obvious last season. Guys were getting by him to easily, got caught ball watching too much and took himself out of plays drifting to the paint when guarding a perimeter guy in anticipation of rebounds.
Late career Russ = late career Iverson
If you lead the nba in turnovers when playing half the season without lebron and AD bc of injury its completely fair to call him out.
Stop making excuses for Russell Westbrick. He stinked it up last season (period). He earned that Westbrick name.
JJ's argument is not nuanced but somewhat coded. Correct me if I am wrong J is basically saying you knew what you were getting. He is no different. Although at times he seems to be an apologist for the seeming poor shooting and decision making.
Russ got scapegoated in the sense that people should've put as much blame on AD as they did Russ. But that doesn't change the fact Russ was terrible last year.
Bradley Beal basically said nothing lol, he just said ya he was a good teammate, answer the question Beal! JJ was on point with his take, Russ did what he’s always been doing and got blamed because the Lakers sucked last year, not every player is meant for every team
Did he even answer the question? Lol
"Russ didn't get worse" so him having a 10 minute compilation of him hitting the side of the backboard doesnt exist? lol cmon man yall are pandering to Russ. It's corny, he was AWFUL last year but so was the team. They both equally sucked