"I hope he finds it" - Rasheed believes Westbrook's struggles in recent seasons are due to mental challenges

The past few seasons haven't exactly gone Russell Westbrook 's way. After he averaged a triple-double in the 2020-21 campaign with the Washington Wizards, Westbrook has since struggled mightily to find his fit with both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.

Russell's struggles were on full display in the Clippers first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks this year, prompting fans to wonder where he went wrong. If you ask Rasheed Wallace , he believes Westbrook's on-court struggles are due to the mental challenges he is facing.

Rasheed weighs in on Russell's struggles

Westbrook spent most of the 2023-24 campaign coming off the bench for the Clippers, and he held his own as the leader of their second unit (11.1 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 45.4 FG%). There's no doubt those numbers are a far cry from what Russ was putting up a few years ago, though.

While players regress as they get older, Westbrook's fall from grace has been particularly stark. Given that, Wallace thinks that the UCLA product is struggling to adapt to the changes he is currently experiencing in his career while also noting that he hopes he finds his way in the future.

"I think it's definitely mental with him because over the last few years, not just with L.A. now, his whole game over the last few years, not too long ago, he averaged a triple-double in the league," Wallace said on Sheed & Tyler . "That's a feat in itself. It's cool if somebody do it a couple times a year, and then we're seeing it a lot in this game today, but ain't nobody averaging a triple-double for the season."

"It makes you think it definitely has to be mental with him not being able to be consistent with that jumpshot like he was just a couple years ago. I don't know what it was, but damn, I hope he finds it," Rasheed added.

Related: Scottie Pippen on how Michael Jordan would have reacted if he left the Bulls: "He would have probably tried to shoot more and score more"

Is there any shot the old Russ will ever return?

During his prime, Westbrook was one of the most explosive players in the game. The 2017 MVP was arguably the best slasher in the game, as he had a deep layup package and could destroy the rim on dunks.

Given that he will turn 36 in November, it's no surprise that some of Westbrook's explosiveness has vanished. However, almost every other area of Russell's game has disappeared as well, leading Wallace to believe that he is overthinking everything he does on the court.

Transitioning to a smaller role as you get older is challenging, no matter what sport you are in, but it's a change that Russ has really struggled with. His time with the Clippers appears to be up as a result, and nobody really knows what the future holds for the California native.

Sheed is hoping Westbrook can figure things out, but it simply may be too late for him to do so. Somebody will surely pick up the veteran guard if the Clippers get rid of him, but it's safe to say that Russell's best days are behind him, even if he is dealing with a mental block on the floor.

Related: Isiah Thomas once explained how he'd guard Russell Westbrook: "I would have tried to frustrate him"