To start or not to start? That is, apparently, one of the early-season questions surrounding Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The new-look and injury-ravaged Lakers have gotten off to an eventful 2-3 start. Except for a stellar outing against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday (without LeBron James) that encapsulated Westbrook's regular-season value (33 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 turnovers) and the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Westbrook experiment has been shaky thus far.
Westbrook was a disaster in his debut and has largely struggled with his shooting, finishing, and decision-making. He's averaging 17.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 9.4 assists, but also six turnovers per game and has put up abysmal .422/.174/.474 shooting splits.
He lost his cool at the end of the Lakers' embarrassing OKC loss, culminating in an unnecessary ejection in the final seconds. The Lakers' net rating with Westbrook off the floor is far superior to when Russ is playing.
As a result, some folks in league circles think Westbrook would be better off as a Sixth Man.
“To me, he’s best with the second unit, having the ball in his hands and pushing the pace,” one scout told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “With (James), (Westbrook) will rebound and push it, but many times, no one runs with him… certainly not (James) or (Davis). He is a poor defender on a team FULL of poor defenders. Not a great fit there either. It is just a matter of time before the (Westbrook) volcano erupts. He is so passionate and being an LA kid, wants so badly to succeed … I just don’t see it as a great fit. (James) and (Davis) are NOT changing the way they play, nor can they. I predict a 5-7 seed and first round exit in the playoffs.”
Easy for an anonymous scout to say.
However, as Amick notes, Westbrook as a super-sub is not an uncommon idea among NBA commentators:
“Respected ESPN analyst Tim Legler was talking about Westbrook being better used as a sixth man after just one game, and that conversation picked up again on the TNT broadcast Tuesday night.”
(I happened to catch Mike Wilbon making the same case on “PTI” last week, though Wilbon argued Westbrook should start the game then be quickly subbed out.)
Of course, there is a human element here. For as reasonable as it is to imagine the Lakers at their best with Westbrook embracing a primary role as spearheader of the second unit, it's utterly unfathomable to expect Rob Pelinka, Frank Vogel, and LeBron James actually asking Russ to do that. Westbrook is a deeply prideful 10-time All-Star, a Los Angeles native, and the highest-paid player on the team ($44 million this season).
Plus, the Lakers traded solid pieces (Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, no. 22 overall pick) to acquire him on draft night, instead of giving up fewer assets to add Buddy Hield.
Regardless, it's not an overstatement to say that how Westbrook fits with the Lakers — and, more specifically, how the Lakers executive with Westbrook on the floor in crunch-time of playoff games — will be one of the major factors in determining who wins the 2021 NBA championship.
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