Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Ways Russell Westbrook can improve

1. Russell Westbrook must Stop shooting 3-point shots

Ray Allen, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Reggie Miller to name a few.  These players are considered the gold standard in the modern-day NBA when it comes to 3-point shooting.

They in their own way changed the game.

Moving the game from a low post and mid-range game which the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan dominated, to a more spread out game where they create additional space for each of their teammates with their ability to make it rain from anywhere on the floor.

Russell Westbrook, while a future Hall of Famer in his own right, with all due respect, will never ever be mentioned in the same breath when it comes to 3-point shooting.  In fact, when it is all said and done, it is more likely he will be used as a benchmark for bad 3-point shooting.

While this is potentially harsh to the former MVP, he has more than earned his place in the pantheon of poor 3-point shooters.

To put it mildly, it is not a strength of his game.

He has never averaged more than 34.3% from the 3-point line over the course of his career and it is safe to say that he more than likely will remain the player he has always been when it comes to shooting the 3-ball.

So what can the Lakers do to help Russell be more effective?

While it may be a risky plan of action, it might be time to stop Russell from shooting the 3-point shot altogether.

Westbrook does not command the respect of many a team when it comes to shooting beyond the arc.

Westbrook’s best plan of action is to play to one of his strengths, attack the rim ferociously. This in turn allows for one of two things to happen.

• The defense collapses inward to stop Westbrook from getting an easy basket. Westbrook using his elite passing passes the ball out to the open shooter for an easy 3-point opportunity.
• The defense remains in place, Russ has a one on one match up and with his speed, explosiveness, and ability to finish under contact, he gets an easy basket more often than not.

If Westbrook continues to settle for 3-point shots, they will continue to not fall and the Lakers will continue to waste opportunity after opportunity.

With the Lakers investing heavily in 3-point shooting this off-season, the purple and gold have given Westbrook an opportunity to be successful in this system if he sticks to it.

That is a big IF.

If he does stick to the system, the purple and gold could be primed for a dynamic offense that destroys teams with a high-powered inside-out game masterminded by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.