“Russell Westbrook at that time was like the heartbeat of the Los Angeles Lakers”
Despite having feuds and many collisions with Russell Westbrook in the past, Patrick Beverley still respects the triple-double machine who once played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The two, after many years of rivalry, became a team in the 2022-23 season, playing together for the Los Angeles Lakers. Thanks to this time, Beverley has come to understand Westbrook better and now he stands up to defend his former teammate against criticism from the online community.
Sharing with former NBA star Gilbert Arenas in a recent podcast, Patrick Beverley disagreed with the Lakers pushing Westbrook to the bench.
“Russ was like the energy for the team, the pulse of the team at that time. I think coming off the bench affected Russ quite a lot," said the player currently on the Philadelphia 76ers staff.
At the same time, Beverley also defended Westbrook against criticism from fans, saying that they were somewhat unreasonable to call the defender "Westbrick".
“It was the craziest thing I've ever heard. He broke countless records, threw 3 points with a success rate of over 40% and people still call Russ a brick. I don't understand," Patrick Beverley shared.
Patrick Beverley played 45 games for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022-23 season, averaging 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Midway through the season, Pat Bev switched to the Chicago Bulls.
With Russell Westbrook, the defender came on as a substitute and was relatively effective in this role. He scored 15.0 points and added 7.5 assists per game in 52 appearances last season.
However, the Lakers still decided to say goodbye to Russ, allowing him to become a free agent and letting the defender join the neighboring team LA Clippers.
The fact that Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers "went their separate ways" turned out to be a good decision for both. The yellow and purple team made a series of good transfer deals at NBA Trade Deadline, helping them turn around the season and reached the Western finals.
As for Westbrook in the LA Clippers shirt, he can play more freely and regain his impressive form at the end of the season, especially in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
