Lakers: Stephon Marbury Slams LeBron James & Antony Davis for Russ' Struggles
Last season for the Lakers was the thing of the past and one to forget. The head coach got fired, the front office didn’t re-sign anyone from last season’s squad and injures effectively derailed LA's 2021-2022 season.
Not only was it all those things listed above, it was also the poor play of the big three in LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. The big three played just 21 games together (11-10) and from the start, the trio struggled to produce positive team results. And there are plenty of people who blame the former 2017 Westbrook, but former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury doesn’t fall for that narrative. (quotes from the Ryen Russillo Podcast).
“LeBron and Davis, them guys know what Russell Westbrook was before he got here. You can’t be that smart of a basketball player and not know who you’re getting, who you’re going to be playing with. Who’s making the adjustment? It can’t be blamed on Russell Westbrook.”
Marbury went on to say that he respects Russell Westbrook and believes he has been falsely criticized for his play last season. The Coney Island native added that you need to let Westbrook play his game.
“Who’s gonna make the adjustment? The best player is supposed to make the adjustments. You gotta allow Russell to be able to do what he does if you’re saying that you want him to come here because you watched him play, you’ve seen him play, you’ve played against him."
We all try to look for someone to blame, but in actuality it is everyone’s fault. From LeBron James to Anthony Davis to Frank Vogel and Westbrook as well. Each and every one of them had a part in the Lakers dreadful season.
What needs to happen now is they must be able to work as a team to achieve their ultimate goal. They don’t have to be friends or buddy, buddy off the court but they need to be able to make the sacrifices they didn’t last season.
Starting mid-October, we’ll see if it’s more of the same old stuff or if they give us the winning brand of basketball that we’re all used to.
