The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled mightily over the past month, but they are still in the playoff hunt past the midway point in the season. As long as that remains the case, Russell Westbrook says he will not be concerned.
The Lakers fell to 24-27 with a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. The loss was their eighth in their last 11 games. Westbrook was asked on Tuesday about the recent skid, and he offered a simple take on his team’s inconsistent play. He said everyone has the same record at the start of the postseason.
Russell Westbrook on the team's record at this point (24-27): "You get in the playoffs it's 0-0."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 1, 2022
That may be true, but the Lakers won’t even get there if they continue to play the way they have in recent weeks. They are the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
LeBron James is dealing with another injury, and he sounds quite frustrated about it. There were questions about the age of L.A.’s roster entering the season. Those questions were obviously legitimate.
Westbrook was recently benched for his poor play, and it doesn’t sound like he took it well. The Lakers desperately need to find their groove down the stretch if they want to have a shot at making any sort of playoff run. Very few people believe they are capable of doing that.
Photo: Oct 6, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook prior to the preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
