Not much went right for Russell Westbrook during his first year in Los Angeles. After joining his hometown squad to much fanfare by way of a gigantic trade with the Washington Wizards, Westbrook struggled to fit in with the rest of the Lakers roster as the team missed out on the play-in tournament.
Part of the reason that was the case beyond Westbrook was the fact that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed extended periods of time due to injuries. James appeared in 56 games and Davis appeared in 40, while Westbrook played in a team-high 78. This, according to Jeanie Buss, made Westbrook worthy of praise in a recent interview she gave to Sam Amick of The Athletic, where she originally referred to him as the team’s best player.
“All I can say is that, from my point of view, (Westbrook) was our best player last year,” Buss said. “He played pretty much every single game, showed up, worked hard. You know, I would have loved to have seen what this team would have looked like if they stayed healthy. It’s really tough to win when Anthony Davis isn’t on the court. LeBron was hurt a lot of the season. But Russ showed up every game and played hard every night. And, you know, I just really appreciate him for who he is and what he brings to the team.”
Buss went on to correct herself and told Amick that “the word I should have used was ‘consistent.'” Regardless, the timing of Buss’ praise for Westbrook is interesting, as it has come in the midst of an offseason where newly-hired Lakers coach Darvin Ham has made clear that he has a plan for how he wants to use the former league MVP this season. But despite that, there have been a bevy a rumors indicating that Westbrook is likely to be traded before the season begins.
