NBA News: Lakers Fans Will Leave Huge Mark On Westbrook After Current Season

KEY POINTS

Roland Lazenby explains why playing for the Lakers requires a high standard
Russell Westbrook should play through heavy criticism for the remainder of the season
Damian Lillard feels the criticisms against Westbrook are a bit overboard

Russell Westbrook’s time in Hollywood is winding down, with most believing that the 2017 NBA MVP will be moving to a new team in the summer.

But for now, the nine-time All-Star will have to ride it out until the franchise is still playing this season.

For NBA fans, most know that each arena is home to rowdy fans who are pretty passionate about the game and their ball club.

In the case of the Lakers, the fan base is pretty different and players who don the signature purple and gold need to meet those standards and play well.

This was explained no less by decorated book author Roland Lazenby when he spoke on the Sports Bytes PH podcast this past December.

“In LA, they’ve got those big eyes for everything. Sitting around the corner, all those powerful Holly wood people… You know they think it’s their right to be able to root and cheer in everybody’s face. But that’s not the game. The game’s going to sort it out and you got to meet the standards. You got to play well,” Lazenby stated.

Try as he might, Westbrook has been unable to showcase the triple-double form that most know him to be.

To make things worse, his entry into the Lakers’ fold has been a forgettable one as he struggles to fit into the team’s system.

Moreover, he has failed to step up on several occasions, especially when LeBron James and Anthony Davis are not around.

One person who has kept tabs on his situation is Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 31-year-old appeared on the Club Shay Shay show hosted by Shannon Sharpe and gave his piece of advice to the embattled All-Star guard.

"If I had to tell him anything, I would just tell him [to] face the music," Lillard said. "The criticism, it's gonna happen. You're playing in one of the biggest markets, so I would just face it. … Deal with it.”

However, Lillard also feels that the criticism that Westbrook is getting is too much.

"It's easy to kick somebody when they're down… It's going overboard at this point, in my opinion," Lillard quipped.

Criticism of how he plays is expected to continue unless Westbrook finds a way to consistently play well while wearing a Lakers jersey.