Brian Windhorst believes it’s unfair to remember this Lakers season as the ‘Russell Westbrook season’: “Lakers can’t defend and that is the legacy of this season”
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Russell Westbrook has been the subject of immense criticism all season long and has been blamed for everything that has gone wrong for the team.
However, for once Westbrook could not be blamed for the loss to the Houston Rockets as the point guard recorded 30 points on the night and led his team in scoring.
Appearing on ESPN's morning show Get Up, sports journalist Brian Windhorst spoke about how the Lakers need to blame their defense instead of Westbrook for this loss. Windhorst said:
"Everybody wants to blame Russell Westbrook and this will be remembered as the Russell Westbrook season, but that is not fair because Russell Westbrook had 30 points in this game, he had two turnovers, he had the best plus/minus of any of the Lakers' starters."
Windhorst continued:
"This game was lost because the Lakers can't defend and that is the legacy of this season. It is the combination of Westbrook who's a terrible fit with LeBron and the fact that they traded all of their key defensive pieces and let another one in Alex Caruso walk out the door to get the deal done."
How do the Lakers move forward with Russell Westbrook?
Russell Westbrook's return to his native LA to play for the Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis this season was viewed as a homecoming. Many hoped that the trade would bring the championship to the franchise this season. However, things haven't panned out that way with the team barely in a Play-In spot with a 28-37 record.
Russell Westbrook tonight:
30 Points
8 Rebounds
6 Assists
52% FG https://t.co/ib0Eejgpd5
Westbrook is currently averaging 18.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game this season. He has shot over 43% from the field and at a paltry rate of 28.2% from beyond the arc. The 33-year-old is also averaging a shade under four turnovers a night and the sheer pace at which he plays has been hard to keep up with for the oldest roster in the league.
Seemingly, the only way forward for the Lakers is to have the superstar point guard coming off the bench as he has struggled to influence the game with LeBron on the floor with him. Coming off the bench would mean that he would be the orchestrator for the second unit.
Russell Westbrook is the 3️⃣3️⃣rd player in NBA history to reach the 23,000 point plateau. https://t.co/0UldcTuzNM
Russ could punish the secondary point guard of the opposition with his pace and explosiveness. The second unit of the LA Lakers can surround Westbrook with shooters, which will create a pathway to the rim for him to attack with ferocity.
This just might be the way forward for head coach Frank Vogel and Co. as the LA Lakers have no answers at the moment and will be going home at the end of the first round, which is their best case scenario at the moment.