Lakers News: Kevin Durant Defends Russell Westbrook

KD supports his embattled former OKC teammate.

Brooklyn Nets All-Star forward Kevin Durant has come to the aid of embattled Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook, who has had miserable start to the 2022-23 NBA season. For an 0-3 L.A. franchise, Westbrook is averaging 10.3 points on .289/.083/.800 shooting splits (that's not a typo), while pulling down 6.7 rebounds and dishing out 4.3 assists a night.

Westbrook played alongside Durant with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008-2016, during which time they led the club to four Western Conference Finals appearances and one 2012 Finals run, where they fell to the Miami Heat, led by Westbrook's current teammate, All-Star small forward LeBron James.

During the season three premiere episode of his The Boardroom podcast "The ETC's With KD and Eddie Gonzalez," Durant weighed in on the criticisms being leveled against his one-time Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star teammate:

"But if you play in L.A., you're playing next to the biggest figure in sports in LeBron James. Everything you do is going to be magnified, especially if outside perception is that your team is going to struggle... You are open to criticism when you don't play well, [but] it's like you're making him the butt of your jokes now... The dialogue around our game is just so toxic at this point. I get criticism [on the court], but it's starting to turn into something else right now."

Both Westbrook and Durant were named league MVP during their Thunder tenures, though Westbrook was given the accolade the season after Durant ditched him for the greener basketball pastures of the Golden State Warriors. They will always be bonded, and despite an inability to get along on the hardwood, it's nice to see that Durant sports his old comrade off of it.

In terms of the context of what Durant is saying, Westbrook is being criticized for his disappointing performance on the hardwood. It is not an overreaction to say that the most expensive player on the team has looked like L.A.'s worst player. Hopefully that changes soon.