Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook was labelled ‘contagiously bad’ as his team suffered their second successive loss to open the 2022/23 NBA season.
The Lakers slipped to a frustrating 103-97 defeat to the Clippers, despite 25 points from Anthony Davis and 20 points - along with 10 rebounds - from LeBron James. Lonnie Walker also scored 26 for the Lakers, while Paul George and John Wall led the way for the Clippers with 15 points each.
It was yet another difficult night for Westbrook. He scored just two points in a performance to forget, although James praised the guard’s defensive hustle.
Outspoken Fox Sports analyst and personality Skip Bayless was impressed by Westbrook’s ‘astonishing’ and ’sensational’ defence, but he vehemently criticised the 2017 MVP’s shooting ability. Westbrook shot 0-of-11 including six missed three point attempts, leaving him without a field goal for the first time since 2016.
He also found time to praise the Clippers and the returning Kawhi Leonard, who impressed as he played his first match in 16 months. Speaking on Undisputed, Bayless said: “I picked the Clippers to win it all and I feel real good about my pick. They have the best coach and depth in basketball. I’m talking about 11 deep, with Kawhi [Leonard] coming off the bench. This team plays pretty-to-very well together. I loved what I saw from the Clippers.
“Here’s my biggest issue with Russell Westbrook: he was 0-for-11. Our question was how much is he to blame? It’s about big picture blame. When you miss that many shots, it’s psychologically damaging to the whole team. He is contagiously bad for this team. He’s a terrible shooter. He has so much pride, he’s not going to quit shooting - it’s just going to escalate.”
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Westbook has often been made the scapegoat for the Lakers’ ‘poor play since he arrived in Los Angeles - but his shot selection was questionable at times on Thursday night. Shooting and decision-making have been arguably the two biggest issues for the 2017 MVP since he arrived in Los Angeles.
The Lakers shot 9-of-45 as a team from downtown and failed to show good discipline by taking contested outside shots. The Lakers dropped to 0-2, but still rallied from two large deficits and kept it close into the final minute amid horrific shooting performances from Westbrook, Patrick Beverley (1-of-7) and Kendrick Nunn (0-of-7).
As for the Clippers, Leonard had 14 points and seven rebounds in his first game in 16 months. The two-time NBA Finals MVP came off the bench for the first time since 2013 and played 21 minutes in his first game since he tore a ligament in his right knee in a playoff game in June 2021.
Leonard decided to ease back in a temporary reserve role after missing all of last season while recovering from surgery. The 1-0 Clippers face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday after the Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers.
