The Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis experiment failed miserably in their first year. Is there any way they can make it work in year two?
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Barring a massive trade, the Lakers are all but locked into another year of this trio. There are rumors about a potential Westbrook for Irving swap, but those are still just rumors right now.
Westbrook is the most expendable piece on the Lakers roster right now, but they have no way to move him. His contract is absurd, and after the way he played last season, his trade value is at an all-time low.
The Lakers are going to have to find a way to make their stars coexist together. That’s why they fired their head coach Frank Vogel who they won a title back in 2020.
Los Angeles is stuck right now, but that doesn’t mean all hope is gone. With a new regime and an idea of what went wrong last year, the Lakers can turn things around. With LeBron James playing like he’s still 25 years old, this team will always have a chance.
Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas suggest a way LeBron James and the Lakers can make the Russell Westbrook pairing work
Why didn’t Westbrook fit with the Lakers? Well, there are several reasons, but the biggest is that the roster wasn’t built to maximize his value.
For one, the Lakers had very poor spacing. Their three-point shooting was abysmal. They were in the bottom ten in the league in three-point percentage at 34.7% while making only 12 threes a game.
Additionally, the Lakers already have two ball-dominant players in James and Davis. Westbrook is at his best when he has the ball, driving hard to the rim to either finish at the rim with the defense focused on shooters or kicking out to his shooters when the defense zones in on him.
He’s lethal in the fast break and is an excellent rebounding guard. With Davis and James controlling both of those aspects as well, Westbrook was made into a ‘catch and shoot’ guy. Except, he doesn’t have a good three-point shot. He was severely reduced and limited with what he could do last season.
Sure, all of it isn’t the Lakers’ roster’s fault, Westbrook was generally bad on his own. However, there are ways he can improve if the Lakers make the right changes. One of those changes could be benching him. Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas discussed this idea together, figuring it may be the best way to fix the Lakers.
However, they also discussed its practicality of it. Would Westbrook accept such a role? Would he sacrifice that much? Will the Lakers even consider such a move or stay strong-headed and try to make their big three work? We’ll find out next year.
Also Read: Are Bronny James and Shareef O’Neal in the 2022 NBA Draft?
