“He is a small version of LeBron” – Patrick Beverley doubles down on the narrative that Russell Westbrook was forced out of the NBA

It appeared that Russell Westbrook had rebuilt his reputation and image after a disappointing tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook had a solid 75-game stint with the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25, which gave him a 7th-place finish in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

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Last season, Russ posted better statistical numbers in 64 games with the Sacramento Kings. However, the 2017 NBA MVP had no takers this summer, forcing him to call it a career.

Westbrook’s former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Patrick Beverley, blamed the media for the demise of Russ’ NBA career.

“I don’t like how they did him. I don’t like how the media did him. Made the fan base have a different perspective about him. That caused the presidents and GMs to have a different perspective about him. He’s one of the best teammates that I had. You can’t tell me Lonnie Walker on the basketball team and Russell Westbrook ain’t on the basketball team. That s-t ain’t right,”

Russ still had a lot left in the tank

Westbrook became the premier guard in the league when he had triple-double seasons in Oklahoma City after Kevin Durant left. He took that act to D.C. and had his fourth triple-double season in five years with the Washington Wizards in 2021-22. That’s when the Lakers came calling.

Russ joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Lala Land was supposed to be a big hit. However, not only did Westbrook not fit there, but Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had him playing roles and doing things that did not utilize his strengths. And so after one and a half seasons of disaster in L.A., Russell was dumped and even blamed for the Purple & Gold’s shortcomings.

Westbrook bounced back in Denver and Sacramento with back-to-back solid seasons. However, Beverley claims that the narrative the media painted suddenly made Russ unwanted, despite it being crystal clear that he still had plenty of gas left in the tank.

“This man’s supposed to be in the league for another three, four years at least. He is a small version of LeBron James, minus the championship. But when you talk about the pedigree of basketball players, that man is tough.”

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An NBA scout claimed that Russ doesn’t fit any system

Last month, veteran NBA writer Sam Amico revealed that one NBA scout talked to him about Westbrook and explained the reason why, at that time, the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles was still unsigned.

“I wouldn’t touch him in a million years… You can’t rely on him in terms of what’s going to happen. Yeah, he’ll have great games. Sure. But he can’t shoot. He plays his own way. He’s not going to fit into a system. He doesn’t really defend. In terms of truly building a winning team, you don’t get him on your team,” an anonymous NBA scout explained to Amico.

Westbrook’s effective field goal percentage in three of the last four seasons was at least 50 percent, and it ranked among the Top 3 of his career, so it’s not that he hasn’t evolved or that he can’t shoot. Russ helped the Nuggets reach Game 7 against eventual champions OKC in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, so it’s not that he can’t fit into a system.

That Denver team was certainly a winning team, and they said nothing negative about Westbrook. And so if it wasn’t performance, it had to be something else. Maybe Pat Bev is right.

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 2:20 AM.