There was once a time where Russell Westbrook was one of the most effective scorers in the NBA, but those days are seemingly long gone.
The Golden State Warriors defended Westbrook on Thursday by leaving him completely wide open at the perimeter and even a bit closer to the hoop sometimes. Every time down the court, the Warriors dared Westbrook to take an open jump shot, but he refused to.
The Warriors aren’t even thinking of guarding Russell Westbrook from 3…
This is crazy. pic.twitter.com/vkvixmRGMM
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) March 3, 2023
It’s indicative of the former NBA MVP having his confidence broken. When he was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2009-2019, he would have taken this shot 10 out of 10 times and would have probably knocked it down.
It seems like the “Russell Westbrick” remarks that have been thrown around by his critics over the last few years have really shaken his confidence. After seeing how the Warriors were guarding Westbrook on Thursday, it’s pretty clear that he’s scared to shoot the basketball and would rather pass it off to somebody else instead. (RELATED: REPORT: NBA All Star Ja Morant Allegedly Involved In Assault Incidents)
Westbrook’s confidence issues on the offensive side of the ball are worrisome for the Los Angeles Clippers, who just signed him to a deal in February. Since Westbrook joined the Clippers, the team has gone 0-4 and have fallen to seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. To put Westbrook’s struggles into perspective, the nine-time All Star has lost 14 straight games as a starter dating back to his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Yahoo Sports.
Until Westbrook finds the confidence to take these wide-open shots again, the days of him going for 25-30 points every single game are over.
If he doesn’t turn things around soon, Los Angeles might just have him come off the bench.