“Russ is a high-character guy” - Frank Vogel happy with Russell Westbrook’s response to being benched

Russell Westbrook returned to regular action on Friday with an impressive performance after being benched by Frank Vogel for the final 3:52 minutes on Wednesday.

Vogel, who continues to be scrutinized closely in lieu of the LA Lakers' poor performance this season, confessed his happiness with Westbrook's response to being benched.

As per Harrison Faigen, Editor-in-Chief at Silver Screen and Roll, Vogel praised the way Russ performed against the Orlando Magic in the post-match interview. He said:

“Russ is a high-character guy. We knew he was gonna respond. We communicated afterwards to make sure that he understood what was going on, that we were just coaching to win the game, and to turn the page onto Orlando. And he did a great job of maintaining that focus, and we’re all committed to this group getting the job done.”

Russell Westbrook speaks to the media after the LA Lakers' win over Orlando Magic

Russell Westbrook told the media that he was more upset about losing the game against the Indiana Pacers than being benched. Westbrook said:

“You read it. I said I was upset about it. More upset that we didn’t win the game, that’s the most important part, and after that, like I said, I’ve been here. I’ve been doing my job since Day One, and been doing everything that’s been asked of me since I got here. I’ll continue to do that for the betterment of the team."

Westbrook further discussed what he believes is his role for the team after registering 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists against Orlando:

"My job as a player, as a professional, is to do my job, continue to find ways to be able to help impact winning. That's all I was thinking about and turned the page to do and that's what I tried to do tonight."

Russell Westbrook has been mostly disappointing this season. The Lakers, who are 23-23 and stand 7th in the Western Conference, have struggled despite possessing a formidable trio. On paper, Anthony Davis, Russ, and LeBron James seemed exceptional. The ground reality is significantly different, however.

Davis has played only 27 of the 46 games and has missed 16 consecutive matches. Westbrook has been erratic for most of the season and is registering the third lowest scoring average of his career. Meanwhile, James, despite registering unbelievable numbers, has been unable to rally his team to victory.