Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook had another rough outing that led to his benching in the overtime win against the New York Knicks.
The former 2017 MVP turned in a five-point, six-assist and four-rebound performance with a 1-of-10 mark from the field.
Westbrook couldn’t do anything right, and his poor shooting got him booed by the Lakers fans. Fans also audibly started shouting at Westbrook to not shoot in the fourth quarter, which is not what the Lakers want to see from their $44 million man and blockbuster addition over the summer.
After the game, LeBron James revealed what he told Westbrook after the guard clearly looked dejected on the bench.
“I just told him to keep going, stop second-guessing himself during the game,” James said. “There was a couple times where he had good looks and second-guessed himself, and there was a couple times where he had drives and second-guessed himself. He’s an instinctive player. And he should never, with what he’s done in this league, he should never second guess himself. He’s put the work in.
“So, I told him to just hit me later. And I don’t need to harp on what we need to say to him. He’s a big-time player, and I have the utmost confidence in his ability, not only for this team but for himself as an individual.”
It’s up to Westbrook to adjust his style of play and find other ways to help the Lakers win, but it’s not looking good right now for the hometown guard.
