Kevin Durant advises Russell Westbrook to brush off all criticism against him and prove his worth to his team

Russell Westbrook is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing season. One person who is still a believer is none other than former teammate Kevin Durant.

Both Durant and Westbrook blossomed into superstars during their time as teammates with the OKC Thunder. Although they have gone their separate ways, it's clear that there's still mutual respect.

Westbrook has had a rough tenure with his new team. After being acquired by the LA Lakers last offseason, the hope was that the energetic guard would be the missing piece of the puzzle. Instead, it turned into a nightmare year. Westbrook saw a rapid decline in play and was often mentioned as a trade candidate this offseason.

On a recent episode of "The ETCs," Durant spoke about the criticism Westbrook has been receiving:

"It's like now you're making him the butt of your jokes. ... The dialog around our game is just so toxic at this point. I get criticism (on the court), but it's starting to turn into something else right now."

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Could time be running out for Russell Westbrook with the LA Lakers?

LA Lakers veteran Russell Westbrook

The speculation continues to circulate surrounding Russell Westbrook and the LA Lakers. For a team that came into last season with aspirations of making a deep playoff run, it turned out to be a disaster.

Westbrook has now become one of the biggest storylines of this season. The Lakers want to avoid a repeat of the previous season, when the team finished 11th in the Western Conference.

With LeBron James preparing for his 20th season, it's clear that time is running out for this team to contend. The Lakers have also been dealing with the injury conerns to fellow star Anthony Davis.

If Westbrook can't find his groove early this year, the Lakers could be aggressive in the trade market. Westbrook has already been mentioned in rumors involving Indiana Pacers players Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. While that trade hasn't had any traction as of late, those talks could be revisited.

For now, it looks as if the Lakers are going to try to figure out a way to make the Westbrook experiment work. It was recently announced that Westbrook was going to be moved to a bench role during the preseason. Time will tell if the Lakers can find a role for their veteran guard.

Westbrook played 78 games last season, averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. It was the first season since 2009-10 in which Westbrook averaged less than 20 points per game.

Westbrook is in the last year of his contract after opting into a player option for north of $47 million.