“In a team sport everyone bears responsibility when things go south” - JJ Redick believes it’s unfortunate that Russell Westbrook has been made the scapegoat for the LA Lakers’ struggles
Russell Westbrook was one of many players picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers prior to this season, fuelling many premature conversations about LA’s playoff chances.
Russell Westbrook on the Lakers
In August of 2021, the Los Angeles Lakers made a blockbuster three-way trade with the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards in order to receive Russell Westbrook. In the same month, the Lakers made transactions to receive Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo. They signed DeAndre Jordan the following month.
With all of the superstardom listed above, one can understand why many assumed Los Angeles was headed deep into the playoffs, if not the NBA Finals. The Lakers have, however, flattered to deceive and are currently a .500 team.
The superstar four of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, and Russell Westbrook getting together fuelled huge excitement for NBA fans everywhere. Seeing these four players on the same team was supposed to be magical. It has ended up to be quite the opposite and unfortunately, Russell Westbrook is bearing the brunt of the criticism.
Westbrook is currently averaging 19.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 4.8 turnovers a game for this 2021-22 NBA regular season.
So why is Russell Westbrook the problem?
Many of the recent headlines regarding the Lakers' inability to play to their perceived superstardom are targeting Russell Westbrook alone. Basketball is known to be a team sport, and with a team so full of superstars it seems unfair to place all the blame on a single player's lap.
JJ Redick joined Sportscenter’s NBA on ESPN in speaking about Russell Westbrook's recent predicament. When asked about how Russell Westbrook has been made the scapegoat for the Los Angeles Lakers' struggles, Redick explained:
“In a team sport everyone bears some responsibility when things go south. But the reality is, this is who the Lakers traded. This is Russell Westbrook. If you look at his numbers, he is at his career average … I think a bigger issues is the general roster construction, and the fact that LeBron has missed over 30% of their season so far.”
Russell Westbrook's turnovers have been at the forefront of the conversation. Westbrook currently stands with an average of 4.8 turnovers per game. That's the exact same number as last season, and roughly the same in each of his other years as well.
Russ’ point-per-game average, on the other hand, is currently the lowest it has been since his 2011-11 year when he was playing for Oklahoma City. When you think about the amount of star shooters LA currently has for options, one can understand why Russell Westbrook may have a lower average this year in shots.
Redick makes a point when he speaks of basketball being a team sport. There are a number of reasons one could argue behind why Los Angeles' failure to find their footing this season.
Averaging so close to his career averages this year, the arguments targetting Westbrook does not really hold up. LeBron James has missed 30% of the season, Anthony Davis is injured, COVID protocols are picking players out of the crop by the week, everyone is learning new roles on a new squad.
It seems they may have figured something out, having gone on a 3-1 spread in the last 4 games they have started LeBron James at center. Fixing the current patch in the big spot whilst giving Russell Westbrook more space on the point seems to be working so far.
Russ can make great plays and wonderful passes when he plays slower, smoother basketball. Known for his aggressive speed and agility, Westbrook often overpaces himself and forces the ball into difficult positions or turnovers. But the triple-double king can contribute to the Lakers' cause in a big way if he is playing to his strengths.
Russell Westbrook's one-handed pass on the fastbreak highlights this week’s @StateFarm assists! 🎯 https://t.co/LwRSz08dxx
With a large number of superstars having joined the Los Angeles Lakers this season, leaving it all on the shoulders of Russell Westbrook is unfair. Despite his poor turnover rate, there aren't many arguments that can lay the blame on him entirely. The team as a whole simply needs to take a deeper look at the construction of their squad from the inside and work out the wrinkles.