After the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to acquire superstar guard Russell Westbrook on Thursday, some fans were concerned about how he would fit.
Reportedly, LeBron James and Anthony Davis already met with the Los Angeles-area native to discuss how it would all work, which included the two incumbent superstars switching positions.
“About two weeks ago, Westbrook went to James’ home and together they and Davis had a conversation about the All-Star guard joining James and Davis on the Lakers,” wrote Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
“They talked about putting their egos aside and playing as one in their quest to bring the Lakers another NBA championship. Westbrook talked about how his only intention was winning and coming back home to Los Angeles to become a champion.
“James and Davis talked about the two of them changing positions if that was best for the team — James moving from small forward to power forward and Davis from power forward to center.”
Westbrook is one of the league’s truly unique stars. Despite being a guard, he has averaged double digits in rebounds in multiple seasons, to go along with his proven talents as a scorer and distributor.
However, he is a poor 3-point shooter, a weakness that will have to somehow be addressed. There is also the question of how Westbrook and James – both ball-dominant players – will mesh.
It appears that Westbrook may be willing to tweak his game a bit to accommodate the four-time MVP.
“Westbrook let James and Davis know he doesn’t mind playing off the ball when James initiates the offense, something he did while playing alongside James Harden with the Houston Rockets,” wrote Turner.
With Westbrook, the Lakers’ offense will get a much needed boost. He will take a sizable burden off the aging James, while also keeping the offense strong when the 36-year-old is resting.
