Written By: Sonal Puri
Edited By: Cameron Schoffro
Russell Westbrook has been all the talk this NBA season. The spotlight is especially bright, being on Lebron James' Lakers. After last year's disappointing playoff run, Los Angeles has a lot to prove this year; so they added another star player, Russell Westbrook, in the offseason. The Lakers chose Westbrook, despite DeMar DeRozan willing to take a pay cut to join the Lakers. Lakers management must be rethinking their decision in hindsight, considering DeRozan is having a career year with the Chicago Bulls.
Westbrook was brought onto the Lakers to ease LeBron’s workload, and he has not been able to do so; he has undoubtedly been disappointing for LA. He leads the NBA in turnovers, and his poor shot selection has tanked his 3 point percentage (29.6% so far this season). With his history of stat-padding without team success, it appears his playstyle may not contribute to wins. Regardless of the result of his play, there is no doubting his effort; Westbrook gives 110% on a nightly basis. Of course, Westbrook's elite facilitation has remained, so he has done well generating open looks for his teammates; however, his scoring has been sub-par.
Westbrook has been fantastic in previous years; he's a nine-time all-star, 2017 MVP winner, and has averaged a triple-double multiple times. Given Westbrook's past success, it begs the question: why is he playing so differently this season? The answer is he isn't. Westbrook has always played like this, the only change has been the team fit.
With this new team, in a new role, he is no longer the first option. While playing with two other stars, one of them being Lebron, everything seems to be coming to the surface. Westbrook excels as the focal point of an offence, so when he has to take a backseat to the incredible duo of Lebron James and Anthony Davis, he has faltered. With a new team comes new expectations; the Lakers are expected to be contenders, yet their record has failed to meet these expectations. Now, Westbrook is being criticized for what he was once praised for, and he seems blind to his own actions, as he said in an interview, “I missed some shots, that’s a part of the game. I am allowed to miss shots. I can do that, like any other player. I can turn the ball over too. I can do that. That’s all a part of the game. But when you watch a basketball game and figure out what impact is, making the right plays, boxing out, rebounding, whatever that may be. That’s all about being a basketball player." Yes, he is correct, boxing out and rebounding are crucial parts of basketball. But he has to acknowledge that he has cost his team with poor decision-making, shooting, and turnovers. Also, Westbrook seems to quit defensive plays sometimes, opting to chase the rebound rather than playing good defence, thus leaving his opponent open shots.
Westbrook needs to contribute as the third star the Lakers expected him to be and get LA back to title contention. Just recently, on January 19th, he was benched in a tough loss against the Pacers. For Westbrook to succeed in Los Angeles, he is going to have to adapt to the Lakers playstyle.
There is no doubt that Westbrook is a part of the problem, but the Lakers' struggles seem to be bigger than Westbrook's; the January 15th loss to the Denver Nuggets signalled another red flag. The Lakers have not been able to work synchronously, and their on-court communication and body language has exposed the team atmosphere. The Denver Nuggets took note of their dysfunction and used that to their advantage in the disappointing loss. Moreover, Coach Vogel's terrible rotations and unnecessary double-teaming at the top of the key contributed to this loss. Perhaps, the Lakers will add shooters to space the floor and compensate for Westbrook's weaknesses, but one thing is certain: change must occur for the Lakers to win a championship. With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will not have to wait long to see how things play out for the Lakers and Russell Westbrook.
تعليقات