2023-07-22 11:57:00
Russell Westbrook’s adventure with the Lakers was not a success, far from it. The point guard had a tough time at the Los Angeles side, and his disappointing performances earned him criticism from many fans. But Lakers guard Austin Reaves has fond memories of Russ as a human and a teammate.
Visiting the podcast All The Smoke, Austin Reaves spoke on a variety of topics. After talking about the ordeal that Stephen Curry put him through in defense, he mentioned the case of Russell Westbrook with whom he spent a season and a half at the Lakers. And he only said good things about it:
“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve had. Humanly, you cannot do better. I had COVID in Minnesota during my rookie season, I was stuck there for seven days. It was tough, but he contacted me three or four times to see if I needed anything.
And as a teammate, he encouraged everyone to get better, to do better. He has a bad reputation and I don’t understand why.
Words that are a pleasure to hear when you know the troubles Russ experienced on the Los Angeles side between 2021 and 2022. Far from his usual level, he never made it to the Lakers and suffered a lot of criticism from fans. Some have even gone much further by verbally attacking his name, his family… In short, not everything has been rosy in recent years for Brodie, who seems more fulfilled since he joined the Clippers in February.
It is therefore a good thing to see his former teammates speak and pay tribute to him. Unless proven otherwise, they are the best placed to talk about the player they have worked with on a daily basis for more than a year. And Austin Reaves has just given us great proof of Westbrook’s leadership and exemplarity.
The sporting difficulties he experienced did not prevent him from taking young players under his wing and being a role model for them. So whatever one thinks of his time with the Lakers, there’s no denying that Russ is a player with a remarkable mentality.
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Source texte : All The Smoke podcast
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