Russell Westbrook benched again as shooting woes continue
There's a first –– and second –– time for everything.
In the Los Angeles Lakers' overtime win over the New York Knicks on Saturday, point guard Russell Westbrook was benched in the final minutes of the game, reigniting the conversation about the former MVP's fit in L.A.
Westbrook did play the final minutes of the fourth quarter, but once the game was forced into OT, he did not see the floor again, as the Lakers completed a 21-point comeback with a 122-115 win over N.Y.
"The Brodie" finished the evening with five points, six assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes. He turned the ball over four times, shot 1-for-10 from the field — including 0-for 3 from distance — and 3-for-7 from the free-throw line.
"The best part of this game is that you win," Westbrook said after the game. " … We won the game and that's all that matters."
Added Westbrook: "I missed some shots that I normally make. I don't want to keep making it about me. When I play bad, you guys ask me a s--- ton of questions. And then when I shoot the ball well, I don't hear too many of those questions. … We won the game and that's the most important part."
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said that the decision to bench Westbrook came down to the success that LeBron James was having on the night.
James, in his first game since Jan. 25, finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists — and three turnovers — in 40 minutes.
"I think obviously Russ was having a tough night on both sides of the ball and [LeBron] was really going," Vogel said. "So I knew the ball was going to be in [LeBron's] hands."
On Monday, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless took a dive into what Westbrook's latest benching signals for the Lakers and their polarizing PG, with Sharpe taking a stab at why Westbrook has struggled so mightily in his first season in L.A.
And he pointed at Westbrook's potentially diminishing explosion.
"The reason why Tom Brady was able to play for 22 years — not only was he good, he didn't rely on athleticism. So he was least affected by Father Time. Russ relies on athleticism, hence why he can't finish like he once could at the rim."
Shannon Sharpe: The Lakers' best chance of winning is with Russ coming off the bench
This season, Westbrook is shooting 43.7% from the field, 30% from 3, and 66.8% from the free-throw line. He is averaging 18.4 points — his lowest per game total since his sophomore season — along with 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
But it's a little more nuanced than that.
Westbrook is shooting 54.5% (225-for-413) on shots within five feet of the basket, the second-worst FG% among the 54 players with at least 200 field goal attempts from that range this season (James Harden, 52.6%)
He's shooting 52.9% (218-for-412) on lay-ups, which ranks 69th among players with at least 100 lay-up attempts this season, and he's shooting 59.1% (178-for-301) on shots within three feet of the basket, which ranks 93rd among players with at least 100 FG attempts from that range this season.
Westbrook leads the NBA in shots missed from 0-3 feet (123), shots missed from 0-5 feet (188), and missed lay-ups (194).
To put those numbers into perspective, 12 players this season have a better overall field goal percentage than Westbrook’s lay-up field goal percentage.
Bayless pointed to those shooting percentages as to why the Lakers will second-guess playing Westbrook in the clutch for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.
"After the game, [Westbrook] says, ‘It happens. I missed some shots that I normally make.’ Russ — what do you normally make?"
Just like that, watching Hollywood's team play in a close game has now become about more than the game. It's about who will star in a leading role.
And apparently, Westbrook might not always be cast.
