"They're the exact same player, minus the injury history" – Shannon Sharpe on why he'd still pick Russell Westbrook over potentially-linked 5-time All-Star
LA Lakers superstar Russell Westbrook has been the topic of trade speculation for some time as the Lakers' tumultuous campaign continues.
On Fox Sports' morning show, "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," former NFL star Shannon Sharpe lambasted the idea of trading Westbrook for Houston Rockets star wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">John Wall. Sharpe said:
"Hell, no, John Wall has played 40 games in the last three seasons. They're the exact same player minus the injury history. Imma roll with Russ. I'm good. I'm absolutely not doing this deal."
Sharpe talked about how injury prone Wall is and that it would not be advisable for the Lakers to trade Westbrook for Wall. Sharpe continued:
"With John Wall's history, he has missed as much time as Klay over the last three years. No, I can't do it. I know Russ going to frustrate me, have my blood pressure sky high, but Imma roll with him."
.@ShannonSharpe on whether the Lakers should trade Westbrook for John Wall:
"Hell no, John Wall has played 40 games in the last 3 seasons. They're the exact same player minus the injury history. Imma roll with Russ. I'm absolutely not doing this deal." https://t.co/MMBszS5BdV
Should the Lakers trade Russell Westbrook for John Wall?
Russell Westbrook and his acquisition by the LA Lakers was expected to result in the Lakers putting together a Big Three as they combined Westbrook with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. However, as things stand, the Lakers will be lucky to get out of the first round of the postseason.
Westbrook has seemingly been blamed for every problem that exists with the Lakers and seems to be at the root of all problems. But that has not been the case as barring James and Malik Monk, no one on the roster can say they have played to their potential.
Russell Westbrook has a better field goal percentage than Steph Curry this season 😳 https://t.co/vQArqW9Wtl
One of the primary issues, along with his shooting for Westbrook, has been the turnovers he has generated. Getting someone like Westbrook in was supposed to ease the workload for "King James" but has ended up increasing it. Russell Westbrook is averaging 4.1 turnovers this season as his fast pace cannot be kept up with by the oldest roster in the league.
John Wall, in the last three years, has played a grand total of 113 games for the Washington Wizards and the Houston Rockets respectively. His shooting numbers also aren't that much better than Westbrook's, as Wall is a career 43.1% and 32.3% shooter from the field and range, while Russell Westbrook is 43.7% and 30.5% for his career in the same categories.
So it doesn't really make sense for the Lakers to trade for a player like Wall when things could potentially get better for them with Westbrook figuring things out and with the return of AD.