Russell Westbrook has spent a year and a half with LeBron James and had a brief stint with the Clippers. But on Friday, he debuted with the Denver Nuggets. A game that witnessed the Nuggets dominate till the very end also witnessed the resurgence of Russ. However, it was during the game’s third quarter, that an interesting, rather mind-tickling opinion came from the Celtics’ broadcaster. Was Westbrook a Lakers scapegoat?

During the game at Etihad Arena, Brian Scalabrine shared his wishes for Russell Westbrook. He said that he wanted the 9x NBA to do well against the LA Lakers this season. First Scalabrine triggered a trail of thoughts. He commented: “I’ll tell you what, I am rooting for him to make like nine threes against the Lakers because he got a lot of heat for that, that was a disaster team. And he got all the heat for that whole thing. So I’m kind of hoping that he can make a bunch of threes against that team.”

Westbrook’s harsh criticism for the Lakers’ failures will intensify his matchup against LeBron and Co. However, this conversation escalated to new heights when Scalabrine’s broadcasting partner Drew Carter, dug up the past. Carter added: “You’re telling me one of LeBron’s teammates became a scapegoat out of nowhere?” And well, you would’ve thought maybe Bron would deny the allegations. But, no. Instead, irritated, he reposted the clip on his X handle with a caption: “Took a trip all the way to Abu Dhabi to be on my…..Eat some breakfast first! Anyways Brodie a LEGEND [Saluting emoji].”

Well, it seems quite hard to guess if LeBron James was taking a jab against the claims or if he was simply going with the flow. But he surely wasn’t taking a word casually. However, such claims could now trigger some unprecedented drama, who knows? But we could dive deeper to know what’s the root of such opinions.

LeBron James praised Russell Westbrook as his teammate, so where are the scapegoat claims coming from?

Two years ago, when Russell Westbrook faced criticism for his lackluster performance with the Lakers, LeBron James proudly stated, “I loved being teammates with Russ.” It remains challenging to determine whether the King expressed genuine feelings or not. However, soon the 9x NBA All-Star was shown the exit gate. But well, James did want the veteran point guard to continue with the Purple and Gold.

It was mainly due to his underperformance, that Westbrook received unprecedented flak. LeBron James’ former teammate was tagged the Worst Trade in Lakers History and Rob Pelinka too wasn’t spared from the wrath of the fans. The playing conditions worsened with every game and the Lakers missed a spot in the playoffs. This might have been the last string and Westbrook was demoted to the sixth man’s spot.

Fair or not, Westbrook has taken most of the blame for the Lakers’ struggles this season. His strong personality and declining performance have made him an easy scapegoat. Surprisingly not many have sided with the 35YO, But ex-Lakers coach Darvin Ham had stated: “Russell Westbrook is one of the best players our league has ever seen, and there’s still a ton left in the tank.” But maybe, his efforts weren’t enough to keep him under LeBron James’ leadership.

Were the Celtic broadcasters a bit too harsh? Probably, yes. Their jab clearly irritated LeBron James. This is because their claims might have not been true. However, Russell Westbrook’s stay at the Lakers wasn’t very memorable. The criticism and poor performance made him an easy target which ultimately led to his exit.One thing remains unchanged: the current Nuggets hooper has effectively contributed to every team he’s played for.