Russell Westbrook is heading to the nation's capital.
The Washington Wizards acquired “The Brodie” from the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, sending point guard John Wall and a future first-round pick to Houston.
Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard previously suggested the team was not trading Wall this offseason. Obviously, something changed in the last week-plus. Now, Washington will hope a new backcourt of Westbrook and Bradley Beal can be more successful than the Wall-Beal duo was in the past.
Westbrook also appears to have something to prove as he prepares for another new chapter. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on “Get Up” Westbrook is bothered by the notion he is a bad teammate. Woj opines he will work that much harder with Beal in an effort to shed that label:
“[Russell Westbrook] has been very bothered, I'm told, by the suggestion of the kind of teammate he is,” Wojnarowski said. “I think going to Washington, I think that's extra motivation for him to really try to make it work with Bradley Beal.”
The Westbrook-Beal backcourt seems mismatched, in theory.
Westbrook is a ball-dominant point guard who struggles to shoot from the perimeter. Beal, meanwhile, grew into a superstar combo guard without Wall on the floor in the last year-plus.
While Beal is accustomed to playing off the ball, is that really the best formula for the Wizards? How might a new system impact Westbrook, especially since Washington's offensive success is mostly predicated on floor spacing?
It remains to be seen what kind of dynamic the two stars will have on the floor. But Westbrook is tired of his bad image, and willing to make a change if it means the team wins.
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