The Russell Westbrook era in Los Angeles has been rather disappointing thus far. In fact, there are some that think the Los Angeles Lakers should try to part ways with the former MVP prior to next month’s trade deadline.
With so much uncertainty in the air, a recent report disclosed what Westbrook said to superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James to help convince the Lakers to bring the star guard to L.A.
“Westbrook was both the most aggressive suitor and the most realistic star for the Lakers to land,” Ramona Shelburne of ESPN wrote. “Plus, he said all the right things when James and Davis pressed him on how he’d approach such a new role.
“Statistically and individually, Westbrook told them he felt he’d done everything in his NBA career. All that was left to accomplish was win a title. And doing so in Los Angeles, where he could see his family every day, meant so much to him at this stage in his life.
“He’d never played with someone as accomplished as James and was excited to learn from him. If things got rough, he’d lean on him.”
While that is certainly a heartwarming sentiment, the Lakers do not appear to be anywhere close to title contention right now. On the season, the team is 23-24. It currently lays claim to the No. 8 seed in the West.
With that in mind, Westbrook is not the only factor to blame here. He’s averaging 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. He’s also been cutting down on his turnovers as of late.
Still, he is shooting a paltry 29.6 from beyond the arc. While 3-pointers have never been a huge strength of his, his struggles in that area have been costly this season.
Ultimately, the main issue in L.A. seems to be health issues. Impact players, including Anthony Davis, have missed large portions of the season due to either injury issues or COVID-19 problems. While Westbrook has managed to stay on the court, he has not been able to play at an elite level. That’s true despite the fact that James is having another MVP-caliber season.
With the trade deadline looming, it will be interesting to see if Westbrook has done enough to convince the Lakers to keep him in L.A. past Feb. 10.
