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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons why Russell Westbrook will work in LA

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JANUARY 24: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards dribbles the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at AT&T Center on January 24, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JANUARY 24: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards dribbles the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at AT&T Center on January 24, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers made the biggest move of the offseason by trading Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft for former MVP, Russell Westbrook. This gives the Lakers a big three that they hope will match with Brooklyn.

It is a risky move for the Lakers to make. There was some desperation in the move as well. That does not mean it is a bad move, but it is clear that the front office felt like they had to do something bold in order to capitalize on this title window.

While I am not the biggest fan of Westbrook as a winning player, with more time and more pieces added to the puzzle, I think it is safe to say that Westbrook is going to surprise a lot of people next season.

Why the Russell Westbrook experiment will work for the Los Angeles Lakers:

1. Russell Westbrook is going to make this team much better in the regular season

If there is one thing that is true of Westbrook that he deserves more credit for it is how much he cares. It does not matter if it is Game 7 of the NBA Finals or a random matinee game in February, Westbrook is going to bring the intensity as that is the competitor inside of him.

Sometimes that can get out of hand in key moments of games (we will get to that later) but it also leads to better regular-season results. Westbrook is the main reason why the Washington Wizards even made the NBA Playoffs last season as he can definitely make a team relevant in the regular season.

The Lakers were already going to make the playoffs but having someone as intense as Westbrook is going to be huge both for the record and for the long-term success of the team. This takes some of the burdens off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis and in the case of an injury to one of the two, will keep the team from freefalling down the standings like last season.

Of course, regular season basketball is far different than playoff basketball and that is where some of the concerns around Westbrook start to grow. However, we have reason to believe that this can work in the playoffs as well.

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