Russell Westbrook could save the Los Angeles Lakers season. An announcement like that was unfathomable simply a few months in the past, however that’s the place we could also be heading. I not too long ago wrote about three attainable commerce choices that the Lakers could have thought of, and one included buying and selling Westbrook. But, for me, that was the worst of the commerce situations due to one massive unknown: how lengthy Anthony Davis would keep wholesome.
Unfortunately, we acquired that reply after the Lakers carried out an MRI on their star energy ahead. According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin, Davis will miss a number of weeks with a foot damage.
That leaves a 38-year-old LeBron James to tackle much more accountability in a season he has dealt along with his personal damage points.
The Lakers rotated their season after beginning 2-10. They have gotten good play from gamers like Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker, however the turnaround started when the Lakers determined to have Westbrook come off the bench. When it was first proposed, many believed it might not work as a result of it appeared Westbrook wouldn’t be open to beginning the sport from the bench.
Well, that wasn’t the case, as Westbrook has embraced his bench position and finishes a lot of the video games, which is an enormous purpose why the Lakers are 11-6 since that 2-10 begin. Since November 13, when the Lakers misplaced to the Kings and fell to 2-10, Westbrook is first in assists on the group, third in rebounding, and third in steals. Westbrook is averaging 13.1 factors, 6.6 rebounds, and eight.2 assists in these 17 video games. Westbrook not too long ago grew to become the primary Laker to document a number of triple-doubles off the bench along with his 15 factors, 11 rebounds 12 help efficiency within the Lakers’ huge win over the Nuggets. The above damage to Davis occurred on this sport when Westbrook took over.
Of course, it is a far cry from Westbrook’s MVP years when it was an enormous story when Westbrook did not get a triple-double. But you begin to see how not buying and selling Westbrook can pay dividends, particularly with Davis out indefinitely. Some could say in the event that they did commerce Westbrook for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, they could be capable of keep above water even with the damage to Davis. The downside with that’s neither of these gamers can create their very own pictures or pictures persistently for his or her teammates like Westbrook.
Lebron talked in regards to the distinction between final yr and this yr on the subject of taking part in alongside Westbrook as they construct chemistry on the court docket.
“Just logged minutes. I stressed that a lot last year,” James stated. “We just didn’t have enough time to log enough minutes and know exactly how we wanted to play, how we wanted to work off one another, and how we were going to be effective, so just a lot of logged minutes and being at the right place at the right time.”
Here is Westbrook additionally talking to the duo, constructing chemistry.
“It just depends. I think Bron does a great job of running the floor and I find him on the break. I know he’s one of the best ever, once he gets a head of steam, there’s not much people can do with it and it’s my job to be able to find him and make the game easy for him and that’s what I try to do. He’s on the verge of breaking the scoring record and I just try to make the game easy for him so he doesn’t have to work extremely hard to score baskets.”
Westbrook just isn’t a strolling triple-double anymore, and his shot continues to be inconsistent, however he can change the sport in a number of methods and assist take a number of the playmaking load off LeBron till Davis is again within the lineup. No different participant on the Lakers roster can present that help. The Lakers gamers exterior of Davis and LeBron rely upon the playmaking abilities of LeBron and Westbrook. So even when the state of affairs appeared hopeless, not buying and selling Westbrook would possibly give the Lakers a preventing likelihood as we witness the final sport and a half they performed with out Anthony Davis.
What if, in a pure Hollywood twist, Westbrook seems to be the hero and never the villain?