Instead of being the dominant force many believed they could be, this new-look Los Angeles Lakers side has instead, been struggling to find any semblance of consistency in what has been a very disappointing start to the season. We're a quarter of the way through the campaign too, so at this point, the rough start narrative is slowly turning into legitimate questions about this team's ability to find any sort of chemistry.
LeBron James had and will always be at the center of this Lakers squad, and right now, his on-court compatibility with Russell Westbrook has been one of the biggest issues this team has faced. For his part, James unsurprisingly remains confident about his chemistry with Westbrook. The four-time NBA champ believes that it's all about keeping up with Westbrook's blistering pace:
“It's all about progressing and understanding the playmaker that you're playing with. Understanding his court vision, his awareness,” James said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “So, just running a lane with Russ. He's usually out in front of the pack because of his pace, his intensity; but when you run with him, you get rewarded.”
Individually, LeBron and Westbrook will go down in history as two of the greatest players to have ever held a basketball. Nevertheless, this does not guarantee that when paired together, James and Russ will produce a partnership capable of winning an NBA title. We have to admit that they are taking the right steps towards this objective but there's also no denying that progress has been slow.
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Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is also feeling optimistic about the LeBron-Westbrook partnership. The 48-year-old shot-caller agreed that his two stars are at their best when they're running the floor:
“Their open-court chemistry has been there since Day 1,” said Vogel. “When I was talking to you guys about how good they have looked in practice, that's what I was seeing. Those open-court situations have been really dynamic, really exciting, really fun to be a part of.”
As well know, however, there's much more to the game of basketball than running on the break. The Lakers may excel in this particular facet of the game, but they still need to figure out everything else.
Lakers assistant coach David Fizdale also provided some interesting insight into this team's chemistry. Fizdale, who was an assistant coach to Erik Spoelstra during LeBron's days with the Heat, looked back on his experience with Miami's Big 3 as he compared James' partnership with Westbrook to that of the LeBron-Wade tandem in South Beach:
“This isn't the same team as I saw when I was in Miami,” Fizdale said. “This is much different, where Dwyane was a 2-guard, Russ was a point guard and he's only known the ball. And that's a big difference, where Dwyane had done both so it allowed LeBron to handle it a lot more, and now it's getting Russ to have that give and take with LeBron. It's a totally unique and new experience.”
Alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron won two titles with the Heat in four seasons. James' chemistry with Wade was unparalleled and this is exactly the type of on-court relationship the Lakers want to achieve with LeBron and Westbrook. However, as Fizdale said, the dynamics are now much different and it would be like comparing apples to oranges.
One factor that many tend to overlook, however, could actually turn out to be the most important aspect in the relationship between LeBron and Russ. According to Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy, LeBron has complete faith in Westbrook:
“Just somebody that he trusts and relies on,” Handy said. “You have another guy that's been a point guard at a high level for a long time, and that just allows LeBron to have his usage rate to where it's not so high and doesn't wear himself down throughout the season.”
Trust will always be one of the most significant factors in any relationship, and it's crucial that LeBron trusts Westbrook completely. This makes for a solid starting point between these two stars and with this type of confidence serving as a foundation of their partnership, it would be surprising if these two all-time greats are unable to figure it out eventually.
The pitchforks have already been taken out and the Lakers have been lambasted with criticism from everywhere and anywhere. I'm sure LeBron and Co. are taking note of all of the slander as they continue to use this as motivation to make themselves better. The Lakers should be able to work things out sooner or later. They are just too good not to.
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