Russell Westbrook had yet another terrible shooting night as the Los Angeles Lakers were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, and the star point guard did not hide from his struggles after the game.
Westbrook shot just 5-for-17 from the field and missed all four of his three-point attempts. He told reporters his play simply has not been good enough.
“Got to be better overall,” Westbrook said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “What I’m doing right now ain’t good enough. It ain’t good enough.”
Westbrook has been viewed as the Lakers’ biggest problem in what has been a disastrous season. He’s converting just 42.3 percent of his shots and has been benched numerous times for his poor play. He was even booed by his own fans at one point.
Despite all that, neither Westbrook nor his teammates are giving up on the season.
“I’ve got confidence in this group, like I always have. And we can play the best teams. I’m not worried about nobody we have to play,” he said. “We’ve beaten the best teams; we’ve lost to some of the worst teams. So, our confidence and my confidence in this group is extremely high because I know what we’re capable of when we put our mind to it and do exactly what we need to do on a night-in, night-out basis.”
The Lakers fell to 27-34 with the loss to Dallas. They’re currently the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, so they remain in the postseason picture.
Westbrook appeared to make a change in his personal life recently amid all the criticism he has faced. He almost certainly will not be back with the Lakers next season, but he still technically has a chance to play a big role down the stretch.
Photo: Nov 23, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
