2. Talen Horton-Tucker
No, the second player is not LeBron James. As bad as Westbrook was last season, LeBron James was still able to put together a fantastic year in which he almost won the scoring title. Obviously he is better off with Kyrie Irving as his teammate but the difference for him is not as drastic as it is for someone like Talen Horton-Tucker.
Granted, this is assuming that THT is even on the roster when the season begins. THT is the only young trade asset that the Lakers have to offer and he could be included in a Kyrie deal or a different trade for someone else.
If THT is still on the Lakers then he is going to benefit greatly from swapping out Westbrook for Kyrie. Westbrook and THT clashed in the backcourt together last season as neither man could shoot. THT is not an off-ball shooter and with Russ dominating the baskteball so much, he did not get as many chances offensively to showcase his playmaking.
Like Davis, THT had a negative net rating when he shared the court with Westbrook last season. The duo had a -4.7 net rating together, which was the second-worst two-man net rating that THT had last season. He was only worse with Dwight Howard, who he played a third of the minutes with.
Heck, the trio of AD, THT and Westbrook had a -6.1 net rating in 255 minutes together last season. For a team that is supposed to contend that is awful and not the kind of numbers the Lakers are looking for.
Again, having a point guard that can shoot is going to open up the court for THT to drive to the rim more and actually get the basketball in times he wouldn’t last season. Not only that, but Kyrie Irving does not make the same poor decisions on the defensive end that Westbrook does.
3 early in-season buyout targets for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers need any help they can get this season and thus, the team should already be preparing for potential buyout targets.
Irving is by no means a good defender, but having someone who knows what his place is defensively and does not try to play hero ball will allow the Lakers to utilize THT’s defensive potential in a better way than they did last season.