What did Lakers legend Magic Johnson have to say about Russell Westbrook’s current situation?
Though many believe the situation has past the point of no return, the Lakers legend thinks it’s still within Russell Westbrook to play better.
The Lakers legend gave an open and sincere view on the team’s present point guard and if we’re honest, it was more truth than it was critique which leave’s the question, ‘what happens now?’
Russell Westbrook’s accountability is key for Magic Johnson
If we consider the recent words of one of the Los Angeles Lakers most iconic players, Russell Westbrook needs to take accountability for the poor play with which he has started the 2022-23 NBA regular season. Indeed, those were the words of Lakers legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, during a recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast - see second section. Johnson was speaking on Westbrook’s performance, following another abysmal showing and subsequent loss for the team on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
If you missed it, the Lakers were holding on to a one-point lead with 30 seconds left. Westbrook brought the ball up the court and proceeded to take a jumper although there were still 18 seconds remaining. After his erroneous shot, the Lakers traded possession and moments later the Blazers’ Jerami Grant provided a game-winning layup to complete the Blazers’ comeback and officially leave the Lakers with a 0-3 start. Stranger still, was Westbrook’s ‘explanation’ for his decision in which he stated he was going for a two-for-one. On the night, the under-fire point guard posted 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting, six rebounds and six assists. In terms of the season so far, Westbrook is averaging 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 28.9 percent shooting from the field and 8.3 percent from beyond the arc. In truth, this first week of the season has been disastrous for the Lakers. Between Westbrook’s poor play and their failure to win a single game, alarm bells are ringing, which is something Johnson has suggested could be fixed if the former league MVP starts by owning up to his mistakes.
What exactly did Magic Johnson say about Russell Westbrook?
As mentioned above, Johnson’s comments were more in the context of support rather than critique, something which has been in short supply where Westbrook is concerned. Perhaps that approach may yet yield results. With that said, here’s what the Lakers legend had to say:
“First, take accountability, that’s No. 1. If I don’t play well, say I don’t play well. When I didn’t perform well in ‘84 against the Celtics, I admitted that, I took accountability. I didn’t play well, I was the reason the Lakers lost that series and I had to say to myself, ‘I gotta get better.’ So what did I do? I went out that whole summer and trained hard, got better. Then we played them again in ‘85, the next season. Man I was on fire, we won, you didn’t hear [Tragic Johnson] again.”
“Quit trying to fight the media, quit trying to fight the fans and just say, ‘you know what, I didn’t play well, but I’m gonna play better.’ And go out there on the court and perform. That’s how you stop all the things that’s going on, but you can’t try to do it by trying to combat them and trying to be mad at the fans or the media. Because the media has a job. If you’re not playing well, they’re gonna say it. I didn’t mind them taking shots at me in ‘84 because I didn’t play well.”
“Russell, we know championship basketball here. We know winning basketball. So listen, just come in, do your job and if you don’t play well, accept that. But say it. And then come back and hopefully play better the next time. Then the fans will respect you for that. They respected me when I said I didn’t play well. You’re the point guard, the ball is in your hands, you’re the floor general. You gotta make better decisions, you gotta make them layups, you gotta hit them shots. And then you gotta play hard.”
Does Magic Johnson have a point about Russell Westbrook?
Here’s the thing, Johnson actually has a fair point here. It’s highly likely that Westbrook’s situation could be somewhat smoother were he to adopt a more amenable stance with teammates and fans alike. On the other hand, Johnson also rightly points out that if one performs at a high level, it’s significantly harder for detractors to find ground to stand on. In his time with the Lakers, Westbrook has quite simply failed to do that. Perhaps the only part that Johnson gets “wrong” is his reference to the 1984 Finals loss to the Celtics and what he did to improve before redemption in 1985. If we’re honest, Johnson was 25-years-old at the time, whereas Westbrook is now 34. That’s a case of prime years vs twilight. With that said, just how much can be asked of Russell Westbrook at this stage of his career?