Reacts: Overwhelming majority of Lakers fans want Russell Westbrook sent home
The Lakers may be giving it one last shot with Russell Westbrook, but the fans are past their breaking point already this season.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Los Angeles Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate.
It’s hard to imagine a worse start to the season for Russell Westbrook than the one he’s had through three games. Continued poor play, frustrating moments and an overall unwillingness to adapt has left Russ in a very familiar position and the Lakers in an unenviable one.
The Lakers are doing everything they can to get something out of Westbrook this season by reportedly bringing him off the bench for Friday’s game. However, if it were up to Lakers fans, he would already be away from the team.
Our latest DraftKings Reacts survey asked whether Lakers fans would send home Russ and a VAST majority of fans are done with the Russell Westbrook experience.
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It’s hard to fault Lakers fans here. Westbrook has done very little since his arrival to endear himself to Lakers fans in terms of his on-court production. And after a season as disastrous for both Russ and the team as last year’s was, all signs point to this season being an eery sequel four games into this campaign.
Russ’ leash has to be incredibly short even for the very generous Lakers that are still giving him one more chance. As bad as they were without him in Wednesday’s loss to the Nuggets, they still can hardly afford to have him on the court this season and ultimately, it may not even be worth the headache even then.
But barring a very drastic and sudden change of play from Russ, an ending is near and perhaps inevitable. And if it were up to the fans, it’s an ending that maybe should have already occurred.
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