Lakers owner Jeanie Buss opened up about the structure and inner workings of the franchise in a recent interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic.
When asked about Los Angeles’s acquisition of the controversial veteran Patrick Beverley, who has a long-standing rivalry with Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, Buss defended the move and the embattled point guard who struggled in his debut campaign with Los Angeles.
“Yeah, I remember all the video that circulated when the Lakers brought in Matt Barnes, (with) his relationship with Kobe over the years (and) being one of the best defenders on Kobe,” Buss said to Amick. “And now he becomes teammates with Kobe. We’ve seen these storylines before. Pat Beverley was brought here to play defense, to be that guy that knows how to push his teammates, (who) sets an example with how he approaches his job. … So it has nothing to do with Russ. And like I said, I think that people, they love to pull up storylines and create something and that just isn’t the case.
“All I can say is that, from my point of view, (Westbrook) was our best player last year. 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 (James) 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.”
Westbrook was widely criticized for his performance with the Lakers in the 2021–22 season. The nine-time All-Star joined James and Davis for what was meant to be an NBA Championship team. Instead, injuries sidelined James and Davis for parts of the season, while Westbrook’s efficiency dropped significantly compared to his time pre-Lakers. Los Angeles finished the season with a 33–49 record.
In 78 games, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points per game while posting his career-worst 15.0 player efficiency rating last season, shooting just under 30% from three-point range and averaging 3.8 turnovers per game. It was a far cry from the player that won the 2016–17 MVP award and was named All-Star MVP twice.
Amick followed up with Buss via text to clarify what she meant when she called Westbrook the team’s best player.
“The word I should have used was ‘consistent,’” she wrote. “He played 78 games last season.”
Westbrook has been embroiled in offseason drama as fans have called for the 33-year-old to be traded. And now, with the arrival of long-time foe Beverley, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that it is possible Westbrook could be sent home—similar to how the Rockets handled John Wall—or traded.
Beverley and Westbrook’s feud began in the 2013 playoffs when Beverley dove for a loose ball and hit Westbrook’s knee as he tried to call a timeout. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus as a result of the play and was out for the rest of the playoffs. Since then, the two have thrown jabs back and forth via press conferences and social media. Beverley even called him “trash” in one instance.
Westbrook, however, seems to have the support of Buss. He’s also been defended publicly by James, who on Thursday responded to a tweet about Westbrook saying, “Can’t wait for him to go off this season!!”
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