If there is only one word to describe the Los Angeles Lakers season thus far it would be disappointing. This was a team that had title aspirations before the season and with the way they are playing, who knows if they can even make the Play-In Tournament, let alone advance to the NBA Playoffs.
But what if we used the same one-word exercise for each player on the Los Angeles Lakers? While the year has been disappointing, each player on the team has had a different narrative this season. Some good, some bad, some in-between.
In the following pages, we will break down one word to describe each player’s season on the Lakers. The cut-off for this article is 500 minutes played and they still have to be on the team, so you won’t see Trevor Ariza, DeAndre Jordan, or Rajon Rondo on this list.
One word to describe each player on the Los Angeles Lakers:
Russell Westbrook: Desperation
We called the Russell Westbrook trade a desperation move by the Los Angeles Lakers when it first happened in the offseason and it has been a disaster. All of the team’s problems, whether it is the fit with the superstars or the inability to fill out depth, has been because of Westbrook.
The Lakers are desperate to somehow get Westbrook off the books for next season; Westbrook is desperate to play better and prove that he is a real star; Laker fans are desperate to see Westbrook stop turning the ball over so much.
We see desperation moves from NBA GMs time and time again. The Washington Wizards were more than happy to trade a former MVP for three role players and a non-lottery first-round pick and that tells you all you need to know.