Lakers: Russell Westbrook Picked The Wrong Night To Show Off His New Signature Shoe
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook picked the wrong night to offer up an early preview of his latest signature sneaker, the Jordan Why Not? .5. Bleacher/Report Kicks reports that the footwear is his fifth signature shoe:
Brodie unleashed the sneaker, set to hit store shelves in spring 2022, during a 122-115 Christmas Day defeat to the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets. Granted, the Lakers were missing plenty of bodies themselves... just not as many as Brooklyn.
In 36:53, Westbrook went 4-of-20 from the field to score 13 points. The 6'3" veteran point guard did finish with a triple-double (he also pulled in 12 rebounds and 11 assists). He also logged five fouls and three turnovers. The UCLA product also registered a paltry -23 plus-minus. That metric signifies that Los Angeles was outscored by 23 points in the minutes Westbrook was on the court.
With Westbrook on the bench to start the fourth quarter, the Lakers rallied back from a 102-82 deficit, outscoring the Nets 19-8 through the period's first 6:40 of gameplay. Then Westbrook was brought in for wing Talen Horton-Tucker with 5:20 remaining, and tried to play desperate hero ball late, botching what would in the past have been easy makes around the bucket.
The 2017 MVP's miserable night was capped by this apathetic defensive sequence, in which he failed to switch onto the red-hot sharpshooter Patty Mills, allowing the latter to break loose and essentially seal the victory for Brooklyn with a corner triple:
Mills, who has made a lucrative living ($68.2 million and counting) as one of the best long-range shooters in the NBA, would go on to finish the game with eight made three-point shots. The 33-year-old St. Mary's alum is nailing 44% of his 7.5 triples per night for Brooklyn. That Westbrook would lose him during this crucial late-game moment was a pretty unforgivable offense. Fans shredded Westbrook online for his abysmal night.
The whole operation wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for Russ's fancy new footwear.
It's been choppy sledding for Westbrook during his first (and, if LA has anything to say about it, last) Lakers season. this year, Westbrook is averaging 19.6 points, 8.1 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals, plus a middling 15.8 PER and an absolutely brutal 4.6 turnovers per game.
As far as the shoe itself goes, the upcoming Why Not? looks pretty darn cool. Designed to mimic the cross-training handiness of a trail running sneaker, the new shoe is set to be released in tandem with a clothing set designed in the same motif that will include a T-shirt, hooded sweatshirt, jacket, and tearaway pants, presumably for when you just need to get a quick burn but don't have time to change.
Since entering the NBA, Westbrook has carved out a niche for himself as probably the league's leading fashion plate. The veteran takes bold and interesting aesthetic choices, and that clearly extends to his design choices in the Jordan sneaker space. Here's hoping that he can start innovating some ways to win at the Crypto.com Arena soon, too.
