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Russell Westbrook will have to redeem himself next season, he who comes out of a disastrous exercise for his debut at the Lakers. The old glories of the Purple and Gold franchise will follow him very closely, including Shaquille O’Neal who sent him a big message on Instagram.
Russell Westbrook certainly imagined his first campaign at the Lakers would turn out differently. Unfortunately, almost a year following his arrival in the City of Angels, there is already talk of leaving for the Brodie as well as great tensions between him and LeBron James. A big disappointment for the local native … but also for the franchise, which expected much more when bringing him from Washington.
Now is the time for redemption for the ringleader, provided he is still a resident of the Crypto.com Arena in the fall. He will have to prove that 2021-22 was just a momentary hiccup, which caused him to be set on fire by the whole earth. The slightest statement regarding him is followed very closely, and Shaquille O’Neal has attracted such attention recently. The Hall of Famer shared the following on his Instagram story, with the message cash:
Shaq urges Westbrook to silence critics
They laugh at you. They think you are weak. Show them, Russ. Show them.
For once, this message can be interpreted in two different ways. The first is that Big Diesel is challenging RW to do better in 2022-23, in order to catch up. The second is that the former big man continues to believe in himself, and this may well be the right way to analyze the action of the Shaqfu. Indeed, the latter had explained some time ago that his relationship with No. 0 was anything but confrontational. We can therefore see this as an attempt at encouragement.
After all, we are talking regarding a player elected MVP in 2017, who has signed four seasons in triple-double average during his career. Not betting on him might therefore still prove to be a mistake not to make, especially if LA bounces back next year and surprises the competition. On the fan side, some are therefore inclined to give the guard one last chance. It’s up to him not to spoil it, however, or risk losing everyone’s trust.
@reagan_gazaway : I hope he will make a nice comeback
@metelikes27 : We all want Russ to be Beastbrook once more
@laneruss52 : My guy doesn’t deserve all this hate
Obviously, Shaquille O’Neal continues to believe a little bit in Russell Westbrook, despite his setbacks in 2021-22. Let’s just hope for the Brodie that he lives up to it from the fall, justifying his senior’s support.
