3. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is arguably the most volatile player on not only the Los Angeles Lakers, but the entire league. In fact, Westbrook’s entire career has been volatile as he is one of the most interesting stars in the game.
On one hand you have a triple-double machine that won the MVP award because of it that single-handidly willed a bad Oklahoma City team to the playoffs and helped turn the Washington Wizards from one of the worst teams in the league to a playoff team.
On the other hand, you have a superstar that does not play well in the playoffs. His numbers are good, but Westbrook’s playstyle does not translate well to playoff basketball and we often see smart teams take advantage of that.
Westbrook’s tenure in Los Angeles could really go one of two ways. He could either accept his role as the third star on this team, have the big regular season games that we are expecting out of him and then take a backseat in the playoffs for the betterment of the team.
Or, the Lakers can get through the playoffs and still be a top team because they are talented and Westbrook could go into hero mode, proving to not be a good fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and lead to a disappointing playoff exit.
Both are certainly possible and while we can be hopeful and give the reasons why Westbrook should work in LA, it is not a guarantee and the potential outcomes are so vastly different.