NBA player Patrick Beverley is known to speak his mind, and his latest has something to do with former teammate Russell Westbrook when both were with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 35-year-old NBA veteran was aware of the criticism that the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player got with the Lakers. Westbrook struggled to blend in with the team and believed that coming off the bench was not an effective strategy by Los Angeles in utilizing him.
The former second-round pick of the 2009 NBA Draft also took exception to the "Westbrick" moniker. After racking up one accolade after another, Beverley feels that the 9-time All-Star deserves better.
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"It's the craziest thing in the world," Beverley said when he appeared on Gil Arena's podcast. "The man has broke every (expletive) record. He shot 40 percent from three and people are calling him 'Westbrick'. How?"
The 2017 NBA Hustle Award winner added that the narrative would have been different if Westbrook had continued his monster triple-double ways.
"In this world you get out what you put in," Beverley said. "If he didn't have his triple-double Russ phase, they wouldn't critique him as much."
Beverley also believes that the Lakers could have had a good starting lineup composed of Westbrook, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and himself.
The 6-foot-2 guard started in 45 games with the Lakers for the 2022-23 NBA season. On the other hand, Westbrook started in only 3 of 52 games, the Bleacher Report noted.
Russell Westbrook is proving his worth with the Clippers
Westbrook has moved on from that Lakers episode and is now with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he is the starting point guard. Compared to his time with the purple and gold, the two-time NBA scoring champion managed to turn things around.
The 6-foot-3 cager was re-signed by the Clippers back in July, with both sides agreeing to a two-year deal worth about $8 million. The new deal includes a player option, according to agent Jeff Schwartz in a report by Adrian Wojnarowski.
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