Russell Westbrook was not much of a factor in his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers, finishing Tuesday night’s game with just eight points and four assists.
Following the loss to the Golden State Warriors, Anthony Davis and LeBron James told reporters they had a chat with Westbrook about his performance. They didn’t want the former MVP to be too hard on himself after just one game.
“I just don’t want him to be so hard on himself,” James said, via ESPN. “That was the one thing that I hoped to get through to him, don’t be so hard on himself. Go home and you’re going to see three babies that he has that might be asleep, but they’ll put a smile on his face. He has a beautiful wife and family. So at the end of the day, you go home and you’re really like, ‘OK, that was not that bad. It’s really not that bad.’”
When asked about that conversation in his postgame press conference, Westbrook said “We talked.”
Russell Westbrook not in a talkative mood tonight. Anthony Davis said he was hard on himself after the loss, and he and LeBron were telling him it’s a long process, and that there’s a lot ahead.
Westbrook’s response when asked about this exchange: “We talked.”
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 20, 2021
The adjustment period for Westbrook in Los Angeles could take some time. He’s never really been the third option on offense at any point in his career.
On Tuesday night, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel preached patience for those wanting to see Westbrook immediately fit in with the rest of the team.
“Him more than anybody, it’s going to be an adjustment period,” Vogel said. “He’s coming into our culture, our system. He’s the new guy, and he’s got to find his way. It’s difficult, when you’re used to being the guy who has the ball most nights, to be able to play off of others like Bron and AD. So it’s just a little bit different for him. He’s going to be great for us, but it’s going to be an adjustment period.”
Westbrook will have a chance to redeem himself on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns.
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