Westbrook has been on an 0-4 team before, sees possible turnaround originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
For as many winning teams as Russell Westbrook has been a part of in his NBA career, it wasn't long ago he was in the exact same position he is now with the Wizards. While Washington is 0-4, so were the Oklahoma City Thunder to begin the 2018-19 regular season.
Those Thunder then reeled off seven straight wins and 10 out of their next 11. They won 49 games on the year.
This is a different team and a different franchise, not one with the track record of winning that the Thunder had at the time. But Westbrook believes he can pull from that experience to help lead the Wizards out of their early-season hole.
"I've been in positions where losing four games [is followed] by going on eight-game win streaks, five-game win streaks. It happens throughout the season. Every team goes through it throughout the year," he said.
"It's a tough time, but you've gotta figure it out. Especially for myself, I really, really hate losing, so it's tough for me to kind of reset. As being a leader, you can't lead just when things are going well. You have to lead when things aren't going your way."
Westbrook was disappointed in himself after Tuesday's loss to the Bulls, which dropped the Wizards to 0-4. He had a triple-double, his third of the season already, but he also committed six turnovers and was part of a Wizards defensive effort that saw the Bulls make 15 threes.
Westbrook and his teammates in the Wizards' backcourt didn't offer much resistance to their Bulls counterparts. Every Bulls guard who played was able to score. Zach LaVine had 23 points, Coby White had 18, Garrett Temple had 12 and Tomas Satoransky had 10.
The Wizards played a poor defensive game and it started at the top.
"Defensively, we've gotta set the tone and be tougher. That starts with me. That's just on me," Westbrook said. "I have to make sure I set the tone and have something for the other guys to follow defensively. That's where I think we can make the biggest jump."
Westbrook was somber following the defeat; that could be seen in his session with the media and also his body language immediately after the loss. But after processing the 0-4 start, Westbrook was able to find a positive.
In his 13 NBA seasons, he has seen some good come from times like this.
"I've found leadership is being able to figure it out. I've always believed that when adversity hits, it's a true measurement of who you are as a man," he said.
"I really believe in that. Having a little adversity early on, that's okay. Stick to your principles, stick to what you know. Continue to lead and stay positive. That's something that I'm going to continue to emphasize to our guys, to our team and our coaching staff. It's a long season and we're going to figure it out."
Tune in at 4 PM to NBC Sports Washington on Thursday for complete coverage of the Wizards next game against the Chicago Bulls.
