Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham reportedly has lineups planned to play Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley together in the 2022-23 season.
Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley have already been in contact since becoming Lakers teammates, league sources tell me, and new coach Darvin Ham has told them he has lineups in mind to play Russ and PatBev side-by-side.
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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 30, 2022
Los Angeles appears to be proceeding as if Westbrook will be on the roster for the time being, and Ham has been focused on getting the most out of Westbrook with the Lakers’ new roster.
“Yet I am also hearing that, if no trade involving Westbrook materializes and if he is on the roster when the Lakers start practicing on Sept. 27, new Lakers coach Darvin Ham remains determined to carve out a real role for Westbrook,” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote. “Sources say that the Lakers, to date, have strongly resisted the idea of shelving Westbrook completely until they can find a trade for him like the [Houston] Rockets tried last season with John Wall — even after trading for longtime Westbrook adversary Patrick Beverley.”
Last season, Westbrook, a nine-time All-Star, averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from beyond the arc.
While adding Beverley causes a bit of a logjam at the guard position for the Lakers, Ham appears focused on getting the most out of Westbrook in the 2022-23 campaign. The Lakers could still move on from Westbrook, but it would likely mean parting ways with draft capital to convince a team to take his salary.
How can the Lakers change Westbrook’s role?
While Beverley is a better shooter than Westbrook, there is the possibility that the Lakers could play Westbrook off the ball as a slasher. It’s no secret that the former MVP struggled with his jump shot last season, so Los Angeles could try to limit the number of times he has to take jumpers in the 2022-23 season.
Ham already discussed using Westbrook as a slasher earlier this offseason.
Darvin Ham on Westbrook: “Russ in my opinion, he’s in great shape, he’s durable. And in this four out one in system, he’s going to have a chance to screen and roll and make plays in the half court. He’s going to have the chance run on the break, slash, get layups.”
— Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels) July 11, 2022
One path to that is by surrounding Westbrook with shooting, which could include Beverley, and allowing him to create for others. Last season for Minnesota, Beverley averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The Lakers would love if Beverley could improve his numbers from deep, but he’s an upgrade over Westbrook in that category. There’s no doubt that Westbrook can still be a dynamic playmaker, but it appears the Lakers are trying to tweak his role from the one he held last season as a primary ball-handler.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Lakers are hoping Ham can turn things around with a new-look roster. As long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis stay healthy, Los Angeles has other pieces that it can test alongside them to build a playoff-caliber team in the 2022-23 season.
