The Los Angeles Lakers are the same play-in-caliber team they were last season. LeBron James’ heroics won’t be enough to save them, and it seems like not even a healthyAnthony Davis will help them shake off their woes.
Rob Pelinka secured a contract extension after putting together two of the most dismal rosters in franchise history. The Lakers are 0-3 to start the season, yet they don’t even own their first-round pick in 2023.
But as dreadful as most players have been, Russell Westbrook’s shooting woes and body language have once again stood out. That’s why The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor didn’t mince his words when talking about him.
NBA News: Kevin O’Connor Insults Russell Westbrook, Demands He’s Traded Immediately
(via The Ringer)
“Russell Westbrook is a washed-up bricklayer who needs to be traded immediately for the Los Angeles Lakers to have any chance of saving their season.
It’s been only three games, but the Lakers are winless and their schedule doesn’t ease up over the next month. Westbrook isn’t the only problem, but he’s by far their biggest and most glaring one.”
He added, “Westbrook has made only 38.3 percent of his midrange jumpers in his career, and the number has dipped further since he joined the Lakers. He’s gone from bad to worse, and now defenders treat him like he isn’t even on the court. Through three games this season, opponents are contesting jump shots by Westbrook only 41.2 percent of the time. According to Second Spectrum, that’s by far the lowest contest rate in NBA tracking data history, which dates back to 2013-14.
That’s not pretty much it, though. To put Westbrook’s 41.2 percent contest rate in perspective, only two other players on record have had less than 50 percent of their jumpers contested: Joakim Noah, at 48.7 percent in 2013-14 with the Bulls, and Andre Roberson, at 48.8 percent during the 2016-17 season with the Thunder. This season, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon’s 60 percent contest rate is the league’s second lowest behind Westbrook’s.”
Westbrook has been inefficient for the most part, but he’s not the only one responsible for the Lakers’ terrible performances. Still, it seems like the only way to salvage his reputation is by forcing his way out from that team ASAP.