Advanced stat shows Westbrook has historically bad impact on Lakers

It is no surprise that Los Angeles Lakers fans already want to see the team trade Russell Westbrook. Any sliver of optimism has quickly been dashed with the team starting 0-3 and Westbrook already single-handedly losing them a game.

There are still going to be the Westbrook defenders that just look at the box score and defend him as a quality player. Anyone that has watched the Lakers the last two seasons knows just how negatively the former MVP impacts the Lakers.

For those that love to look just at the stats though, there is concerning evidence that shows just how negative of an impact Westbrook has. Westbrook’s impact isn’t just bad, it isn’t just horrible, it is historic. 

It is hard to fathom how big of a negative impact Russell Westbrook has on the Lakers.

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis just on the court, the Lakers are a pretty good basketball team! A +13.5 net rating is solid, it would have ranked third in the entire league for a two-man combination last season! (albeit a much larger sample size).

A -7.1 net rating is not very good. Among three-man combinations last season, that would have ranked 129th out of 136th lineups (with 750 minutes played).

What is even more insane is the difference between just LeBron and AD and the trio of LeBron, AD and Russell Westbrook. That is a net rating difference of 20.3 points! Just to put that into context, the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, who have the worst winning percentage in NBA history, had a net rating of -15.2.

That doesn’t mean that the Lakers are as bad as that Hornets team, but that is how big of a difference it is between having just LeBron and AD and having Westbrook in the fold as well. There is a reason why the Lakers rank 23rd in net rating this season. That reason is Russell Westbrook!

If you are a Lakers fan then you don’t need me telling you about the negative impact that Westbrook has on this team. However, hopefully for the sake of fans, this article somehow reaches Jeanie Buss or Rob Pelinka and gives them a sense of urgency.

The perfect Terry Rozier-Russell Westbrook trade package for the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have reported interest in Charlotte's Terry Rozier. Here is a perfect Russell Westbrook trade to get Rozier in LA.

Because right now, with Westbrook on the roster, this team might see the season slip between its fingers before it even starts.