"You have got to be a Rajon Rondo, who he is to LeBron James" - Kendrick Perkins believes Russell Westbrook should take more responsibility and should be able to ask LeBron to 'move out of the way'
Russell Westbrook seems to have found a rhythm with the Los Angeles Lakers after a rocky start. With Westbrook playing better, this could be good when a struggling LeBron James has injuries early in the season. Maybe he can take some pressure off his shoulders.
That is precisely what retired NBA player Kendrick Perkins was trying to say while on ESPN. While talking about Westbrook's improvement, he said,
“You [Russell Westbrook] have got to be a Rajon Rondo, who he is to LeBron James. Rondo doesn’t have a problem telling LeBron to run and say ‘I got it’”
.@KendrickPerkins says Russell Westbrook needs to stand up to LeBron 👀
“You’ve got to be able to stand up to him, and say 'move out the way.'" https://t.co/6zfebxhob9
In his NBA career, Rajon Rondo has proven to be one of the best passers and creators for others in the league. Russell Westbrook is not as skilled as Rondo as a play creator but has a lot of experience running an offense and Westbrook plays his best basketball with the ball in his hands.
With James already missing half of the Lakers games, and now maybe more being out with COVID-19 protocols, Westbrook was traded to the Lakers for precisely these moments. James has struggled to stay on the court in two of the last three seasons. Westbrook is a good fail-safe.
However, James leans on Westbrook to provide a lot of the things James will usually do such as constant offensive pressure in the paint with drives and some playmaking responsibilities.
Russell Westbrook and LeBron James on the court together
Both Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are All-Star players who want and should deserve the ball in their hands to run the offense. The Lakers have run into learning how to find a way to get both of these players playing together at the same time.
The Lakers have had Westbrook and James on the court together for 284:55 minutes, and their net points per 100 possessions are -1.7.
Russell Westbrook over the last 5 Games:
26 Points, 10 Assists, 9 Rebounds
31 Points, 10 Assists, 13 Rebounds
20 Points, 5 Assists, 7 Rebounds
29 Points, 11 Assists, 10 Rebounds
25 Points, 9 Assists, 6 Rebounds https://t.co/O898uWGAnC
This was a foreseeable issue because Westbrook's game is very similar to James's. They are not great outside shooters and their scoring is based mainly on them getting to the paint and building off that. Westbrook is also not as great as a creator, needing his drive to create open players for him to find.
The upside of Westbrook having a similar playing style to James’s is that the Lakers team is built to play around players that play this way. Kind of. When James is off the court, it is a perfect chance for Westbrook to play the way that he has played pretty much throughout his career.
On top of that, when they are playing together, Westbrook can take some of the responsibilities off of James. This is what Perkins is trying to say, which makes a lot of sense. It saves James for upcoming games and will have him healthy in the playoffs and when they are on the court together. There won't be much of a drop-off when James is letting Westbrook run the offense.
If Russell Westbrook has it going, it makes sense for him to run the show. It will help James not give 100% every day to get a win, keeping him healthy down the line when it matters.
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