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.
2. Russell Westbrook simply has to be a better version of Rajon Rondo and Dennis Schroder on the Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer first brought this point up on an episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast and to be completely transparent, that is when it clicked together in my head. O’Connor is completely right: Russell Westbrook simply has to be a better version of Rajon Rondo and Dennis Schroder.
What a lot of naysayers are overlooking with Westbrook is the fact that the Lakers do not need him to be MVP Westbrook, they do not need him to be the second-best player on the team, heck, he does not even have to be an All-NBA guy.
There is a route where the Lakers have a ton of success, Westbrook looks great, they win the title and he does not even make the all-star team. All they need Westbrook to do is be a better version of Rondo and Schroder as that secondary playmaker/third scorer (which is what Rondo was in the playoffs).
Westbrook can obviously do that and he is overqualified to do that as well. The thought that he is going to be worse than either Rondo or Schroder in that role is silly.
Of course, the Lakers have to get Westbrook to buy into that role and that is where the biggest x-factor lies. While Westbrook has not necessarily been a great team player in the past, LeBron James is the most respected guy in the league and if there is anyone who can sit him down, explain to him what they need him to do and him actually listen, it is LeBron.
There are some defensive issues but I can see Westbrook being as good as either of those two were on the defensive end. Frank Vogel is a defensive wizard and as long as Westbrook buys into the defensive philosophy then he shouldn’t be terrible. He is too athletic.
3. The Los Angeles Lakers have the pieces around Russell Westbrook to succeed despite him
Let’s not forget that the Los Angeles Lakers have two of the 10-best players in the league and they just won a championship with those two players and arguably a worse supporting cast back in 2020. This goes back to the point that the Lakers do not need Westbrook to be incredible for them to win.
Let’s say Westbrook does not buy into what LeBron is selling him. Despite there being a clear path to success, Westbrook still does Westbrook things and tries to take over games in key moments and it leads to the team losing in big spots.
If that is the case, the Lakers can transition with Westbrook’s role as they still have the pieces around him to succeed. Of course, it would not go over with Westbrook himself but if he is showing the inability to be a reliable option in the end-game lineup then the Lakers can simply pivot and not include him.
Westbrook could essentially become the most overqualified sixth man in the league if that is what it takes. The Lakers have the depth around him where they can sit him in big moments if needed.
Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk is a really good scoring tandem to have in the backcourt and if the Lakers want to go big with a traditional center they can close with those two, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard.
If they want to go a bit more defensive they could do something along the lines of Talen Horton-Tucker, Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza, LeBron and AD. There are lineup options. That includes lineups without Westbrook.
The Los Angeles Lakers are not in a situation where they desperately need the best version of Westbrook to succeed, which has been true of his recent teams in the league. Westbrook as your no. 1 or 2 might be rough, but as a no. 3, he is more than fine.