3 reasons why Russell Westbrook could be on the trade block if LA Lakers don't do well in the 2021-22 NBA season
Russell Westbrook’s tenor with the Los Angeles Lakers has already started a little rocky, with one poor performance and two straight losses. The Lakers are in win-now mode and traded for Westbrook to add another star to their team. However, if Westbrook does not end up doing what he needs to do to help this team reach its final goal, an NBA title, then he could be on his way off the team.
Westbrook was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Lakers over the off-season for most of the Lakers' depth. Westbrook will be playing for his fourth team in four years and has been traded three times in four years. Westbrook wanted to play for the Lakers as he grew up in California and was a Laker fan growing up.
#3 Russell Westbrook’s decision making
Russell Westbrook plays a very aggressive style of basketball and uses his athleticism to run head-on at opposing defenses. The issue with this is that Westbrook can often overplay or lose sight of the overall team, forcing him to make turnovers. Westbrook has not averaged under four turnovers in a season the 2013-14 season.
A lot of this could do with Westbrook just having the ball in his hands, but in two games already, Westbrook has had four turnovers in each game. Furthermore, in the preseason, Westbrook had 23 turnovers to 20 assists in 101 minutes. Now, yes, this is pre-season, but that is a pretty concerning stat-line.
lol Rajon Rondo just threw a pass from close range off Russell Westbrook’s face 😂 https://t.co/YZSkuyOFgQ
Much of this could be due to Westbrook being on a new team and a team he grew up loving. But if Westbrook can’t get his turnovers more under control, it might have the Lakers questioning how much they can rely on him in a playoff series.
#2 Russell Westbrook’s shooting
Russell Westbrook has never been a knockdown shooter, shooting 31% from three and 44% from the field for his career. On top of that, it seems like his free throw shooting has gotten even worse over the years, dropping under 75% in three of the last four seasons. With shooting being such a big part of the modern NBA, it is a surprise that Westbrook hasn’t tried to adapt more into his game in some form.
Russell Westbrook in his Lakers debut:
8 points
4/13 FG
4 turnovers
-26 https://t.co/I2eyXLbRlM
So far this season, Westbrook’s shooting woes have continued, as he has shot 36% from the field, 0% from three, and 36% from the free-throw line. These numbers are incredibly low, and overtime should improve, but they would still need a massive improvement to get to his career avenges.
It is indeed just two games, but the Lakers are looking to win it all now. They also lack outside shooting, which doesn’t open driving lanes for Anthony Davis, LeBron James, or even Westbrook.
With Westbrook likely never to offer that outside scoring to space out a defense, the Lakers could use him as a trade piece for that shooter to have more impact from three-point land.
#1 Russell Westbrook’s overall fit with the Lakers
The trade for Russell Westbrook almost came as a surprise. Almost immediately, people began to question the fit and how the roster would shape out and co-exist together. If the fears of many Laker fans are come true by the trade deadline and Westbrook, James and Davis cannot be on the same court together, Westbrook would be the odd man out.
The main reason this fit theoretically could have some issues and the lack of shooting and spacing is a big reason. All three players love to operate in the paint, and James is the only one of the three who shoot over 32% from three in their career.
Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are a combined 1-13 from three to start the season. https://t.co/wk3AQi8cBQ
The lack of three-point scoring from the Lakers' big three could leave them at a scoring disadvantage against other teams who will take and make more threes. The big three will also clog up the paint, allowing very few drives into the paint and hindering the Lakers' overall offense.
On top of all that, Westbrook has never been the third option offensively ever in his NBA career. Westbrook will need to get used to having a drop in his usage and learn to play off-ball, which at the moment, fans don’t know if he can do that. Westbrook hasn’t had a usage percentage under 30 since the second year in the league and, this season, it could drop well below that.
If Westbrook can’t figure out how to play before the trade deadline, the Lakers might not want to take a chance hoping that he learns to do that before the playoffs start.