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Damian Lillard Defends Russell Westbrook Against Criticism: “It’s Easy To Kick Somebody When They’re Down”
Russell Westbrook has received plenty of heat this season because of his struggles with the Los Angeles Lakers. On the year, Westbrook is averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 3.8 turnovers per game on 43.9% shooting from the field and 29.6% from deep.
The Lakers are supposed to be competing at the top following Westbrook’s arrival. But as of this writing, they are the 10th seed in the Western Conference, fighting for a play-in spot with a 31-43 record. Their poor season isn’t all on Westbrook, but it does nothing but spark more criticism directed at the 33-year old Lakers point guard.
As Westbrook continues to draw a ton of backlash, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has stood up to send his support for the former MVP. Speaking with Shannon Sharpe, Lillard appeared to have a piece of advice for Westbrook while defending him against criticism.
“We’re gonna get criticized regardless,” Lillard continued. “His may be a little harsher because he’s Russell Westbrook, he’s playing for the Lakers, he’s playing with LeBron [James]. I would just face it and be like, ‘Look, I’m struggling. I’m still working at it. I’m trying to get through it. It might not be what y’all wanna hear.'”
“Sometimes you struggle but because of the situation you’re in, the market you play in and the amount of attention you put on everything, it makes everything so much worse. If you actually look at his numbers, there [are] people shooting a worse percentage and there [are] people averaging worse numbers.
“It’s easy to kick somebody when they’re down. … It’s going overboard at this point, in my opinion.”
