Lakers News: LeBron James Speaks Out In Support Of Maligned Co-Star

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James defended maligned co-star Russell Westbrook in front of the media after their 127-119 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, January 9.

“Trusting him [Russell Westbrook] with the ball, you know, and then when I have the ball, he's done a pretty good job. I think he's just got to continue to trust his shot. Obviously, his shot hasn't fell for him as of late. But I think he's just got to continue to trust that,” James remarked when asked about Westbrook’s performance as quoted by All Lakers.

The 2016-17 MVP tallied six points on 2-of-12 shooting with seven boards and six assists in 26 minutes of action--a simulacrum of Westbrook’s run with the Lakers.

For the season, he has been averaging 19 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists on 44.4 percent field goal shooting across 41 games, which has not translated into a ton of wins that Lakers fans have been hoping for.

When the Lakers went ahead and traded away most of their depth pieces for Westbrook, observers panned the move as mainly relying on their three aged and often-injured stars hints at desperation for at least a shot at the NBA title.

As the Lakers deal with the extended absence of Anthony Davis’ bout with a slew of injuries, particularly a sprained MCL, the Lakers have had to rely on their bench pieces even more.

Shooting guard Malik Monk found himself in the starting lineup as head coach Frank Vogel hopes to get something going, while rookie Austin Reaves has been getting some much-needed exposure with the hopes of developing him quickly into a major contributor off the bench.

“We love when he's [Russell Westbrook] playing at a high level. We love when he's playing at a high motor, pushing the tempo because when we're good, when we're really good, we're getting fast breaks points and it starts with Russ attack and early transition and things of that nature so we want to continue to do that,” James added regarding Westbrook.

The Lakers are currently one game above .500 with a 21-20 record and have an opportunity to regain their footing when they face the struggling Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, January 12 away from home.

Sacramento will be without starting big man Richaun Holmes and backup Damian Jones when they meet the Lakers, whom they have lost to twice this season, but picked up a 141-137 triple-overtime victory back in November.

James and Westbrook need to rally the troops together and lick their wounds from the Grizzlies loss if they are to hope for a victory against the Kings.