“It just seemed like those 2 were never on the same page” - Kyle Goon believes LeBron James’ body language was a telling sign of how he truly felt about playing with Russell Westbrook

LeBron James never publicly criticized Russell Westbrook's performance last season. The LA Lakers didn't even make the play-in tournament. The four-time MVP told the media that the team "wants Russ to be Russ." James blamed their failures on their inability to stay healthy.

Kyle Goon, who has been covering the Lakers for several years, was convinced he saw through James' public show of support. On the Crossover podcast, he shared how he thinks LeBron feels about playing with Westbrook. He said:

“Over time, the body language evolved and it’s pretty famous that LeBron gets bad body language when things aren’t going his way or the team isn’t performing the way he wants and that just kinda kept going.

“And what the body language is doing Russ and LeBron when the other had a good game and one didn’t, it just seemed off. It just seemed like those two were never were often on the same page after games and sort of had a little bit of oil and water to them by the end of the season.”

LeBron James insisted that it would take time for the Lakers to figure things out. He also wanted the team to be healthy to get their rhythm and consistency. They were never fully healthy, but they may have had chemistry issues that health would not solve.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook played only 21 games together, finishing with an 11-10 record. James and Westbrook played 55 games together. The Lakers were a dismal 25-30 at the time.

Former coach Frank Vogel gave "Brodie" the keys to the offense early into the season. Westbrook's inability to hit outside shots and erratic decision-making led to LeBron James becoming the primary playmaker.

Vogel's move relegated Westbrook to the periphery of the offense.

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Russell Westbrook blamed LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Frank Vogel for his failures last season

Russell Westbrook took shots at almost everyone in his exit interview. [Photo: YouTube]

The Russell Westbrook exit interview was an eye-opener in many ways. It proved Kyle Goon's assertion about James' support of Westbrook.

Westbrook first criticized Frank Vogel, accusing the coach of not giving him a fair chance to succeed. He then discussed James and AD's comments about letting "Russ be Russ." Westbrook said, "Yeah, but that wasn't true ... Let's be honest."

The Lakers continue to address the chemistry issues this offseason. While reports suggested that Westbrook committed to the team, rumors of his departure persist.

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