Lakers: Russell Westbrook Seems to Be Blaming His Back Issue on Being Benched

Russ talked about the back issue that kept him out, and it feels like he was taking a little bit of a jab at the decision to bench him in games.

The Lakers did not trade Russell Westbrook at the deadline this week. Despite rumors circulating that they were doing everything they could to find a landing spot for him, Los Angeles comes into the weekend with the exact same roster they had on Wednesday night in Portland. 

But the Lakers were without Russ in that loss, as they chose to sit him with a back injury. Following the loss, Westbrook had a few interesting comments about his back on Friday afternoon. 

According to him, his back tightened up because he is not used to sitting down for long periods of time. That seemed to be a little bit of a jab at the Lakers for choosing to sit him in the 4th quarter and overtime over the last few games.

Russell Westbrook said he felt discomfort in his back against Milwaukee, and adds that part of the issue is that he's not accustomed "to sitting down for long stretches".

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 11, 2022

It's just the latest in a long line of off-handed comments made by Russ. Earlier this week, he talked about feeling like he had earned the right to be in the Lakers lineup, arguing that he didn't feel like he needed to be benched late in games. 

"I shouldn't have to hit any benchmark, to be honest. I've put a lot of work and I've got a lot of respect in this game. I don't got to hit a benchmark, or I shouldn't have to. I've earned a right to be in closing lineups."

The simple fact of the matter is that Russ has been atrocious as of late. He's shooting 27.5 percent from the field this month and is averaging just over 10 points per game. He has also turned over the ball 14 times over the last 4 games. 

It's a real tough situation for the Lakers to be in, and it's starting to sound like Westbrook isn't happy with it either.