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The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA on Thursday by agreeing to send three players and a first-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook.
Reactions from Lakers fans have been mixed.
Some believe the squad is giving up too much for a player who wasn’t even on the All-Star squad last season, while others are worried about form.
Granted, Westbrook is not an ideal choice. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and he’s a bad perimeter shooter.
However, he excels in a plethora of other skills and he plays the game with a ferocity few other players possess.
After the Lakers have filled their list of 3-point shooters, here’s why Westbrook is making the Lakers the favorites to win next year’s NBA Championship.
1. They will be the best counterattacking team in the league.
Over the past two seasons, the Lakers have arguably been the best quick-break team in the NBA. Two seasons ago, when LA won it all, he placed second in the league for quick braking points during the regular season.
With LeBron James now 36 and on the verge of turning 37 at the start of the season, he needs help running the show without getting tired.
Like James, Westbrook has always been one of the game’s deadliest players on the pitch, able to grab the rebound and start the break himself.
With Westbrook pushing the ball in transition, James can now run on the wing and look like a finisher, which will conserve his energy (more on that later).
The Lakers will now have a two-headed monster to pick up the pace, instead of relying primarily on an aging James to do all the work in that department.
As a result, it will be Showtime in the City of Angels again.
2. There will be more rest for the king
Load management has been a hot topic around James. In two of his three seasons with the Lakers, he suffered significant injuries that forced him to miss several weeks of action.
James also has more mileage than anyone in the game, which theoretically increases his chances of sustaining another big injury.
With Westbrook in charge, James can conserve his energy on the pitch as he doesn’t always have to be the guy who has to take the ball to the ground, set the table and create an offense when the shot clock runs out. .
Additionally, the Lakers have struggled offensively over the past two years when James is on the bench. Westbrook would fix that, as he can lead the team’s second unit and keep the offense buzzing.
3. Westbrook becomes a 3rd reliable option
Westbrook has always been a proven scorer. He has a career average of 23.2 points per game and has led the league twice.
Last season, he tallied 22.2 points per game while playing alongside Bradley Beal in the nation’s capital.
Obviously, a team needs three good or great players to win everything in these times. Two seasons ago, that was an exception to this rule, as many of the league’s contenders had dynamic duos, not great lines.
Not only would Westbrook bolster the Lakers’ offense by giving them another proven goalscorer, he can also put pressure on opposing leaders by making them expend energy on the defense.
This would come in handy in the playoffs against other star guards like Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Jrue Holiday and Kyrie Irving.
As the old saying goes, sometimes the best defense is a strong attack.
4. He will help plant the planks
Former Lakers head coach Pat Riley had a saying: “No rebounds, no rings.”
Westbrook isn’t just a good rebounder, he’s more of the elite.
He’s averaged double digits in this category over four of the past five seasons, and that’s another area where he can help preserve James.
The rebound is even greater when a team is playing fast-break basketball, as the Lakers likely will, even more than they already have.
Between Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis, LA could become a total monster on the boards and prevent his opponents from getting second shots which would help his defense as well.
5. LeBron will finally have a 2nd playmaker
Westbrook is one of the league’s elite playmakers. He’s averaged double-digit assists over five of the past six years, and for his career he’s averaged 8.5 cents per game.
In addition to helping James, the University of California Los Angeles product may make Davis’ life easier by giving him more dunks and layups.
The Lakers’ 3-point shooters will also benefit, not only from the fact that Westbrook gives them the ball, but also from the defensive gravity that is sure to attract when he steps into the paint.
There is nothing perfect, and Westbrook surely has its flaws, but its talents and skills will far outweigh its flaws.
If the Lakers remain healthy this time around, it’s reasonable to expect them to play for the World Championship next summer and have a real chance of winning it.
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