“Frank Vogel was Russ’ last line of defence… He fought for him” - Skip Bayless believes the LA Lakers front office has deluded themselves about Russell Westbrook

From all current indications, Russell Westbrook will continue to be an LA Lakers player come the 2022-23 NBA season. His subpar debut season with the Lakers is seemingly not reason enough for their front office to offload the nine-time All-Star.

He might have the opportunity to prove that he can be a vital piece for the franchise going forward. The upcoming season offers him the avenue to do just that as he looks likely to feature for the Lakers.

Skip Bayless in his Undisputed production with Shannon Sharpe, reacted to the report. He said that Vogel was partly fired due to his inability to get the best out of Russell Westbrook.

Bayless added that the narrative was seemingly misleading as he was of the opinion that Vogel was Russ' last line of defense. He said Vogel was the one fighting for the 2-time scoring champion, despite frequent suggestions coming from above.

"I get the feeling all year long, that actually Frank Vogel was Russ' last line of defense," Vogel said. "The one guy who was standing up for him, fighting for him to play him in the fourth quarter was the head coach. The suggestions were coming from above, from Rambis, from Phil Jackson."

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Frank Vogel blamed for not getting the best out of Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook #0 and head coach Frank Vogel watch play during the first half during a 107-104 Oklahoma City Thunder win at Staples Center on November 04, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Vogel was expected to make Russell Westbrook's signing work. He was tasked with getting the best out of the forward. It is, however, fair to say that the player who represented the Lakers is a far cry from the player the entire NBA community from his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

"There was a strong sense that it was on Vogel to make the Westbrook experiment work, and the fact that it didn't lead to questions about whether Westbrook had been put in a position to succeed," Amick said.

While it is difficult to believe that the 2017 MVP was terrible because Vogel did not utilize him well. A new Lakers coach could put it to the test and see how Russ fares under a fresh face. The upcoming season will make or break his time with the Lakers.