Russell Westbrook is one of the most polarizing players in the NBA today, despite highlights and stat lines that may ..."/> Russell Westbrook is one of the most polarizing players in the NBA today, despite highlights and stat lines that may ..."/>
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Fansided

Ranking each of Russell Westbrook’s many tenures

By Ari Schwartz

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 21: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during Round One Game Three of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. The Trail Blazers defeated the Thunder 111-98. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 21: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers during Round One Game Three of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2019 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. The Trail Blazers defeated the Thunder 111-98. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 30: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 30: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

4. Los Angeles Lakers

Westbrook’s tenure with the Lakers is likely the biggest disappointment of his career, for reasons that have both Westbrook and the organization’s handprints.

On the one hand, Westbrook’s production dropped from averaging a 22-point triple-double in the 2020-21 season with the Wizards to a stat line of 18 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists the following year with the Lakers. Additionally, Westbrook looked a step slower on the court, making him more reliant on his career 30% three-point shot.

However, Los Angeles can be blamed for putting Russ in a situation where he had to knock down outside shots to be effective. While he did help whenever Lebron James or Anthony Davis was out, Westbrook alone was not enough to win the Lakers games. And when Lebron and/or AD did play, he struggled to fit in, a predictable outcome and one Los Angeles should’ve seen coming for Westbrook, a player who had always been ball-dominant and now had to play next to two of the game’s most dominant stars.

Admittedly, Russ had found himself a solid role as a sixth man for LA  after struggling to begin the season as a starter. Still, his tenure with the Lakers was a failure in which they fell very short of reaching their title aspirations, finishing as the 11th seed in the Western Conference last season.