Russell Westbrook frustrated as Lakers drop from play-in spot

To say it has been a disappointing season for Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers would be quite an understatement.

The nine-time NBA All-Star is shooting just 44% from the field this season — including 29.6% from distance — while averaging 18.2 points per game, his lowest total since the 2009-10 campaign.

Meanwhile, the Lakers now find themselves on the outside of the play-in tournament following a 128-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Los Angeles currently sits in the No. 11 spot in the Western Conference standings at 31-44. It is the first time since the opening week of the regular season that the Lakers have been on the outside of the playoff picture.

Westbrook's frustrations boiled over in the postgame press conference.

When asked what changes the Lakers have to make to get back into the play-in tournament, the L.A. point guard replied, "Nothing, man. Nothing."

The reporter followed by asking why nothing has changed, to which Westbrook responded: "We still got games to play. Other teams still got games to play. We still got to play teams that are above us in the play-in. It doesn't really change much."

Westbrook then flipped the script and asked the reporter what he thought should change. 

When he responded, "Winning," Russ smirked at the response before getting up from his chair and confronting the reporter off the podium.

After the exchange continued for a few more moments, Westbrook reached in for a hug with the reporter. He then pointed to a video camera and said "We cool. Y’all gotta make sure to record that."

This type of exchange comes as no surprise as the Lakers continue to struggle down the stretch. The team is now 4-13 since the All-Star break and have lost their last three games.

Shannon Sharpe addressed Westbrook's spirited postgame exchange on Wednesday's airing on "Undisputed," saying he was not surprised by the point guard's reaction.

"This is a young man that is very flustered with how the season has gone and how he's played this season and Russ felt like he was getting singled out," Sharpe said. "For the simple fact that AD is not there, LeBron is not there, the question is going toward him.

"I get it. It hasn't been great for him. It hasn't been great for the Lakers. But you can't act like this … I don't think reporters are attacking you … I would have thought, as long as he's been around the game, he would have handled the situation better than how he handled it last night."

Skip Bayless went on to mention former Laker greats Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant as examples of players who would have a completely different reaction if they were put in that circumstance.

"They would be angry, they are going to show you fury over the shame of this and that they aren't going to stand for it," Bayless said. "We never get that from Russ because it's mostly all about him."

The Lakers have seven games remaining in the regular season, six of which are against teams currently in the Western Conference playoff picture. That list includes games against Utah, New Orleans, Phoenix, Golden State and Denver twice. The Lakers have gone 4-10 against their six remaining opponents.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said that James and Davis will both be re-evaluated Thursday to determine their availability for the team's upcoming game against the Jazz on Tuesday night. Davis has been out since Feb. 16 with a right mid-foot sprain, while James has missed time while recovering from a left ankle sprain.

With the possibility of their power trio being back in action, it's certainly possible the Lakers could close out the regular season on a run and secure one of the play-in positions. But in order to do so, they are going to need Westbrook to be the best version of himself.

"He seems to always prioritize stats over winning," Bayless said. "That's just who he is."