The Los Angeles Lakers are the talk of the town but apparently for all the wrong reasons. They dropped their 2021-22 NBA season-opener against the Golden State Warriors and hoop junkies are having a field day.
Russell Westbrook, perhaps the biggest acquisition of the offseason, took it hard. He managed only 8 points, five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes of action. Considering he is a former NBA MVP and someone known to explode with a triple-double, those were atrocious numbers.
Unsurprisingly, the 32-year-old has been heavily criticized with most even believing Los Angeles may have been better off taking in a different player. But as LeBron James explained, it is just one game and the 121-114 loss to the Dubs does not give a clear picture of how far the purple and gold can go this 2021-22 season, ESPN reported.
James and Anthony Davis led the charge with 34 and 33 points respectively. But no one else finished in double-digits, a clear sign that the Lakers are far from a well-oiled machine.
The loss also means Westbrook joins James and Davis when it comes to opening day losses for the purple and gold. Both also endured that, probably something that could give Westbrook some space.
For now, James tells Westbrook to just go home and find something that can put a smile on his face. That could be watching a comedy or looking at his kids. In all, he told Westbrook not to be too hard on himself. The four-time NBA champion is confident Westbrook can bounce back.
He gets that chance on Friday when the Lakers face the Phoenix Suns, the same team that booted them out of last year’s NBA playoffs.
Hence, if there is anything that can help boost the confidence of Westbrook back to normal, it would be helping the Lakers get payback for last season’s elimination.
And as told by James and Davis, Westbrook just has to be himself – the reason why the Lakers traded for him in the first place.
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