Russell Westbrook treating Lakers game with normal approach: ‘Nothing for me’

Wednesday has been circled by many fans due to the showdown of crosstown rivals Lakers and Clippers, with the result of the match heavily placing a major implication in the currently log jammed positioning in the Western Conference playoff seedings with less than two weeks left in the regular season.

As such, another narrative that has been talked about on the upcoming matchup is the faceoff of Russell Westbrook against the Lakers, which will take place for the first time after the former star was traded by the club last midseason. 

For Westbrook, he is fully aware of the amount of coverage that will go in because of his failed partnership with the purple and gold. Nevertheless, he considers the bout as just a normal game like nothing else, although weighing a heavy context collectively.

“Nothing for me,” Westbrook said when asked of his approach going up against the Lakers, which many believes as a statement game for him (via Law Murray of The Athletic). “But it’s an important game for us collectively. It’s probably going to be an important game for them as well. So it’s just going to be a big game overall, making sure we’re ready to go. My job is to make sure us in the locker room are locked in and ready to compete.”

Westbrook was acquired by the Lakers in a blockbuster trade last 2021 offseason from the Washington Wizards, in which many believed as another formation of a superteam. The 2017 MVP forged himself with the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, fellow future hall of famers holding one clear goal of bringing championships to the city of L.A.

But it turned out disastrous.

The 2021-22 season of the Lakers was torpedoed by tons of issues and controversies. In what could have been a fruitful season wherein hype and expectations are skyrocketing, situations went hellish at their side. 

Westbrook, for his part, failed to mesh up his play style on both James and Davis. His ball-dominant identity only served as a redundant for the Los Angeles group, as his inconsistent shooting wasn’t able to turn beneficial.

As he played 1 ½ seasons for them, Westbrook saw himself landing back in L.A., but in different colors. He is now playing with a Clippers team that heavily sought him behind former OKC Thunder teammate Paul George. 

Westbrook has been doing fairly so far for the Clips. After a rocky start, he managed to get familiarized and become more productive, as he is averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 assists and 4.8 boards for them while shooting a career high 48.4 percent in 18 games.

Now set to face his former team with having no motives of such revenge, coach Ty Lue can only commend Westbrook’s never-changing viewpoint on every game.

“He plays the same every night. That’s one thing about Russ. He’s going to give you everything he got, no matter who we’re playing,” Lue said of Westbrook. “We could be playing a high school team, he’s going to give you the same energy and same effort every single night, and that’s what I love about him.”