As soon as the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook, Twitter exploded with hot takes left and right. But even if some fans were confident in the team’s new Big 3, most people claimed he wasn’t a good fit for the roster.
Westbrook is one of the most talented and physically gifted athletes of all time. But he’s a ball-dominant player whose style may not exactly suit what the Lakers needed at that time, which was shooting and defense.
Fast-forward to today and it’s clear that the experiment has been unsuccessful. And, according to former NBA player Jalen Rose, it all has to do with the fact that he can’t coexist with LeBron James on the court.
NBA News: Jalen Rose Explains Why Russell Westbrook Has Struggled With The Lakers
“When Russell Westbrook is at his best, he needs the basketball and he needs to dominate the basketball,” Rose said on ESPN’s ‘Get Up. “That allows him to get a rhythm to play at his maximum.”
“When LeBron James has the basketball, that means Russ is off the ball. He’s not a spot-up shooter, he’s not gonna do much cutting and so he can’t be as effective,” Rose added. “His game has to be energy and when we talk about the top teams in the West, let me tell you they actually really need from Russ. Defense at the point of attack. The top teams in the West have a backcourt of CP3 and Devin Booker, the Splash Brothers in Golden State and you got just mentioned Ja Morant.”
This is why some people have argued that Westbrook would be better off the bench rather than starting. He’d get to run the second unit and get some rhythm by getting the rock on his hands rather than playing off the ball.
Whatever is the case, the Lakers have regretted their decision of trading for Westbrook as much as he’s regret suiting up for them, so it’s only a matter of time before this marriage ends up in a divorce.
