LeBron James and Co. catch strays from NBA Twitter after Russell Westbrook goes off again - "Lakers have some shame" 

Russell Westbrook has regained his confidence and rhythm amid a gradual decline due to age and form, two years after his uneven stint with LeBron James' Lakers. Over the past couple of games for the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook's production has been top-notch.

Following a perfect 16-point triple-double on Monday against the Detroit Pistons on 100.0% shooting with zero turnovers, Westbrook had 16 points and 11 assists in Thursday's skirmish against the Detroit Pistons. He committed only two turnovers and shot 83.3%.

NBA Twitter was hyped for Westbrook, who has had a couple of rough seasons across his stints with the Lakers and Clippers. Several fans mocked LeBron James and the Lakers, too.

Westbrook's fanbase and many others felt that he was scapegoated for the team's struggles and his issues were caused by the Lakers.

Here's what one fan wrote:

"Lakers really tried to get this man kicked out the league @Lakers have shame"

Another tweeted:

One fan cited recently traded D'Angelo Russell's 22-point outing for the Nets on Thursday, saying:

"all the former lakers for the last 2 seasons are balling out im crying"

Another warned how Russell Westbrook's potential championship win with the Nuggets could impact LeBron James, saying:

"if denver find a way to win the chip bron gon look real bad man"

"Life without Lebron is good for PGs who can play their positions it seem," another said.

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Russell Westbrook's situation with Lakers was entirely different

Russell Westbrook's homecoming to the LA Lakers in 2021-22 didn't remotely go as planned. The Lakers had a colossal collapse as they went from being surefire contenders to a lottery team with a 33-49 season. Westbrook, who was coming off a triple-double season in 2020-21 with the Wizards, averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists, shooting 44.4%, including 29.8% from 3.

The stats were solid, but Westbrook's on-court impact wasn't close to his All-Star-caliber play. He was also on a $44.2 million contract. The Lakers didn't have the flexibility to improve the roster during his tenure. Westbrook struggled to adapt to an off-ball role, which he's been more accepting of since leaving the Lakers.

With the potential Hall of Famer on a $3.3 million deal with Denver, the Nuggets have enough flexibility to surround Westbrook with the right pieces and compensate for his weaknesses. The Lakers didn't have any of these luxuries when Westbrook was on the team.

This eventually led to LA trading him at the 2023 trade deadline. With more depth, LA not only returned to the playoffs but made the conference finals and has become a perennial playoff-caliber team since.

Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook is also in a better situation in Denver, allowing him to continue chasing his first championship.