Russell Westbrook had a stinker of a preseason debut for the Los Angeles Lakers, but there's obviously no reason to panic.
Both Westbrook and LeBron James were vocal that the Lakers' struggles in preseason mean next to nothing and will be easily overcome as they get more time to mesh together.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel chose to see the positives in the Brodie's first action in purple and gold. During the postgame presser, Vogel harped on Westbrook's unselfishness as the true reason behind his six turnovers.
“To be expected, there was some rust,” admitted the Lakers coach. “There was some growing pains. An adjustment period is something we expect from those guys. I thought both of them played with great energy.”
“I thought Russ even was maybe trying to create and play unselfishly too much on a couple of possessions that led to some turnovers. But playing the right way, we'll live with that.”
Frank Vogel says he thinks some of Russell Westbrook’s turnovers came from him being too unselfish and trying to set his teammates up early.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 9, 2021
Russell Westbrook's play has always felt forceful rather than seamless, which is part of what's made him such an impactful player throughout his career. He'll go right for your throat rather than take you out quietly.
With Westbrook's very aggressive play comes the challenge for the rest of the Lakers to learn to adapt to him. The same scenario played out in his last two stops with the Rockets and Wizards. Russ was at his best during the second half of the season when his teammates had been given enough time to adjust to him and vice versa.
Things may take a while for Russell Westbrook to mesh in Los Angeles, but the payoff will be worth it if they get it right.
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