NBA News: Van Gundy Seemingly Takes Shot At Westbrook After Triple-Double In Lakers Loss

Russell Westbrook is known to give it his all in games and come out with a triple-double performance as often as he can, though it has not translated to wins for the Los Angeles Lakers so far.

Two-time All-Star head coach Stan Van Gundy appeared to take a jab at Westbrook after the latter's disastrous triple-double Saturday, when the Lakers fell 122-115 to the Brooklyn Nets for their fifth straight loss.

Westbrook finished Saturday's game with 13 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal in 37 minutes. He went just 4-of-20 from the field and committed three turnovers and five fouls.

In the eyes of Van Gundy, achieving a triple-double does not necessarily mean that a player did well.

"In the NBA, achieving a 'triple-double' does not mean a player played well," the 62-year-old analyst posted on his Twitter account Saturday.

This comes not long after former NBA player Kendrick Perkins issued a challenge to the All-Star guard on ESPN’s "First Take" in November to decrease his turnovers to help the team win games.

While there is no question that the nine-time All-Star can contribute in more ways than one, this is a concern that needs to be addressed. Since suiting up for the purple and gold, Westbrook has averaged 4.6 turnovers per game this season. He has a career average of 4.1 turnovers per game, according to Basketball-Reference.

There has been chatter that the Lakers may pull the plug on the Westbrook experiment despite the fact he is a former MVP. But unless he proves to be a good fit and helps the Lakers become a dominant team again, a trade by the February NBA trade deadline may happen.

Despite his co-star's struggles, LeBron James, who finished with 39 points, eight rebounds and nine assists Saturday, continues to stand up for the 33-year-old guard.

"[Westbrook] gave us extra possessions, he gave us a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can't stand [failing to convert] as well," James told reporters following the Lakers' loss to the Nets. "But as far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I got no problem with that. It's a make-or-miss league."

The Lakers are set to face the Houston Rockets next, a team that the 6-foot-3 guard played for during the 2020-21 season. Fans are expecting Westbrook to show a better performance and make fewer errors Tuesday at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.