Magic Johnson Reveals Why Russell Westbrook 'Disappointed' Him As Lakers Beat Warriors

Magic Johnson isn't hiding his disappointment over the performance of Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers this season.

When the Lakers signed Westbrook this past offseason, the expectation was very high for obvious reasons. However, the 2017 NBA MVP has failed to deliver.

The Lakers have been on the spot in the past few weeks, having gone on a skid prior to beating the Golden State Warriors Saturday. Former Lakers president Johnson broke his silence on the matter ahead of the game, telling ESPN that he was “disappointed” as he hasn’t seen the explosive Westbrook all season long.

“What I’m disappointed with Westbrook is, I thought he was gonna come with all this energy, get the rebound go coast to coast. We haven’t seen a lot of that. We gotta start that. Where is that aggression? Where’s that Westbrook going coast to coast dunkin’ on people? I don’t know if he lost his athleticism, maybe he can’t explode [anymore], but he’s got to find a way to be better,” Johnson said.

Johnson then emphasized that if the Lakers don’t make it to the playoffs or even in the play-in tournament, the Westbrook trade could be the “worst trade” in the franchise’s history.

“This [Westbrook] trade could go down as the worst trade in Lakers history if we don’t get out of the play-in game,” he said.

The media has begun questioning the chemistry of LeBron James and Westbrook. When asked if the Lakers have ever thought of benching Westbrook for the remainder of the season, Johnson said it’s not happening as the team doesn’t want to “lose him all the way.”

“I don’t think they’re going to [bench Westbrook] because they don’t wanna lose him all the way. You [still] got a month to go. Hopefully, he can find his game and turn this season around for the Lakers,” Johnson said.

The Lakers finally ended their losing streak with a thrilling 124-116 victory over the Warriors Saturday. Speaking after the game, James stressed how important the win was for the team.

“Desperation," the four-time MVP said in a post-game interview. "Four-game losing streak, obviously all season has been up and down. We need this win, for sure. It means a lot. Obviously, they are the second best team in the West. We're gonna take it from game to game.”

James had a monster game, racking up a season-high 56 points that went along with 10 rebounds and three assists. Westbrook also had a good scoring game with 20 points.