The Los Angeles Lakers formed a new Big 3 with the acquisition of Russell Westbrook early in the offseason, and head coach Frank Vogel couldn't be any happier.
Aside from getting an elite talent in Westbrook to boost their championship aspirations, Vogel has another reason to be pleased with the trade for Brodie: he doesn't have to play against him anymore and can now stop coming up with plans to contain him–with the 29 other teams getting that burden now.
“Well, the biggest thing is that I no longer have to be afraid to play him (laughs). That’s the No. 1 thing. I’m excited to have him on my side… He’s just the ultimate competitor. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win basketball games, and I’m happy to have that on my side,” the Lakers coach told Nick Hamilton of Nitecast Media when asked what he's most excited about having Westbrook, via SB Nation.
Frank Vogel is not wrong, though. Russell Westbrook has always been a nightmare matchup with his athleticism and natural nose for the ball–leading him to record triple-doubles night in and night out.
Now that he's with the Lakers, Vogel has a weapon that will cause headaches to their opponents. Pair Westbrook up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and LA gets a core that can wreak havoc any time of the day.
The Lakers are one of the favorites to win it all once again in the upcoming 2021-22 season, and Vogel and Co. definitely seems excited to show the world what they can do after a rather underwhelming 2020-21 campaign.