WHAT TO DO WITH WESTBROOK…IS HE REALLY THE PROBLEM?
The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA this past summer when they signed nine-time All-Star and former NBA Most Valuable Player: Russell Westbrook. Since his signing, Westbrook nor the Lakers have lived up to expectations. The Lakers currently are sitting at the .500 mark with a record of 23-23 and positioned at the 7th seed in the Western Conference. Although Westbrook is averaging 18.5 points per game with 8 rebounds and 8 assists to go along with it; he is producing at lower rate of productivity than we are all used to. Westbrook has never been a productive shooter but on the year, he is shooting 43% from the field, 30% from the three-point line, and a nearly career-low 67% from the free-throw line. Along with Westbrook’s struggles the Lakers have been plagued with players going in and out of COVID protocols as well as other injuries such as Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, Sekou Doumbouya as well as star big man Anthony Davis who sprained his MCL in December and has missed 16 games since then.
The Lakers coaching staff and front office have been burdened with the decision of what to do with Westbrook? It is apparent that the Lakers’ coaching staff has been monitoring Westbrook’s play on the court; on Wednesday Lakers head coach, Frank Vogel benched Westbrook for the final 3:52 of the team’s loss to the Indiana Pacers. When asked about his decision to bench Westbrook, Coach Vogel responded by saying he was “playing the players who were going to win him the game.” Vogel’s decision makes sense as Westbrook is shooting 30.2 percent from the field over his last seven games. Westbrook also leads the Lakers in fourth-quarter minutes played this season. In the 342 fourth-quarter minutes Westbrook has played the Lakers have been outscored by 34 points, but in the 198 minutes Westbrook hasn’t played in the fourth quarter the Lakers have outscored opponents by 50 points.
Westbrook stated he was “surprised” by his benching in the fourth quarter in an interview with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski but was more disappointed that the team lost the game. Westbrook has made it clear that “he has done everything that’s been asked of me here” but he understands his play needs to improve if the Lakers want to reach the championship. There has been talk of moving Westbrook before the trade deadline but that will be difficult due to Westbrook’s five-year $208 million contract, which he signed in 2019. Is the solution a trade or decreasing Westbrook’s minutes on the court? Or is Westbrook the Lakers’ scapegoat? With the NBA trade deadline coming up on February 10, expect the Lakers to make some roster moves that could or could not include moving Westbrook.