Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Russell Westbrook is coming off the toughest season of his career after a pretty tough year with the Los Angeles Lakers. What should have been a big 3 with LeBron James and Anthony Davis became an instant failure as both Davis and LBJ struggled to stay healthy and Westbrook struggled to recapture the form he had in Washington.
The Lakers system evidently did not fit Russ and they were unable to play winning basketball. Westbrook still had a respectable season average of 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists, but nobody can give Westbrook credit for the numbers he put up last season. There are entire lowlight reels of Russ airballing wide-open shots and coming up small in moments where the team needed him to take over. While he is expected to be a better fit with Darvin Ham, what happened last season is set in stone.
As a result of that, Westbrook has not been given a good rating in NBA 2K23 based on leaked images of the game. While LeBron and Davis enjoy the luxury of being 90+ overall, Westbrook has been demoted down all the way to being a 78 overall, the lowest of his career. Many fans of the game and Brodie haven’t taken this well.
Should Russell Westbrook Care About What NBA 2K Has To Say?
Many players take their 2K rating seriously as it is a way for many fans around the world to get a full understanding of which player is better than who. Athletes often try to get the most favorable ratings in video games but it doesn’t look like Westbrook is the kind to throw a stink about how 2K has rated him.
Russ started NBA 2K22 as an 86 overall but saw that number fall all through the year before it entered the late-70s. This may be a little unfair to Westbrook, but it just proves how much his stock has fallen in the eyes of those who had the power to decide these overalls.
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