Former NBA player Anthony Morrow recently put some pressure on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James to fix Russell Westbrook’s struggles this season.
Westbrook was benched in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ brutal loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, and he has not lived up to expectations so far during his time in Los Angeles.
"They still got some time to figure it out and get it done"
Russell Westbrook’s former teammate, @MrAnthonyMorrow, tells @talkhoops and @ROSGO21 why he isn’t giving up on Russell fitting in with the Lakers #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/GpiTnRc3BA
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) January 21, 2022
“Bron has to somehow figure out how to make Russ a Dwyane Wade from the Miami days,” Morrow said. “He’s got to put him in that position. I ain’t know how it’s going to work, but that’s the only way that it’s going to work because I know what kind of player Russ is. I know his pedigree.”
This season, the nine-time All-Star is averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Morrow and Westbrook spent time together as teammates on the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in Westbrook’s career. Morrow has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2016-17 season, which is when Westbrook won the league’s MVP award.
While Morrow may want James to turn Westbrook into Wade, that is much easier said than done.
Wade and James had an elite chemistry together that helped the Miami Heat make four straight NBA Finals appearances and capture two titles in the process.
Westbrook and Wade are two different players, but the Lakers need to find a solution that allows both James and Westbrook to thrive this season.
The Lakers are just 22-23 so far during the 2021-22 season, and while they have been without James and Anthony Davis at points, the team as a whole has not lived up to lofty preseason expectations.
James has been playing at an MVP-caliber level throughout the entire campaign, but until Westbrook steps up or Davis returns, the Lakers are going to struggle to play winning basketball.
