CLEVELAND, OHIO – MARCH 21: Russell Westbrook #0 celebrates with LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 21, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Lakers defeated the Cavaliers 131-120. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers’ plan to completely demolish the rest of the NBA went sideways as quickly as possible last year, as LeBron James and Russell Westbrook never got into a groove. After giving up most of the bench to acquire Westbrook, the Lakers were truly handicapped.
With trades hard to come by and Westbrook picking up a $47 million contract opinion this season, Russ will likely be back on the Lakers for the 2022-23 season. We’ll see f Darvin Ham’s plan for Westbrook, which may involve more shooting, will help him fit in alongside James.
While Westbrook received the bulk of the criticism for LA’s ill-fated season last year, there is a somewhat vocal minority who believe James and Anthony Davis are at fault. Former NBA standout Stephon Marbury thinks that Westbrook can play like his old self if James and Davis can change their game.
Appearing on Ryen Russillo’s podcast, Marbury was critical of James and Davis, who he claims did not adapt their style to fit Westbrook. Marbury mocked James and Davis for seemingly being unaware of how ball-dominant Westbrook can be after all his years in the league.
“The best player is supposed to make the adjustments,” Marbury said. “You gotta allow Russell to be able to do what he does if you’re saying that you want him to come here because you watched him play..LeBron and Davis, those guys know who Russell Westbrook was before he got here. You can’t be that smart of a basketball player and not know who you’re getting.”
Los Angeles Lakers: Stephon Marbury defended Russell Westbrook.
On one hand, Marbury’s comments make sense. The Lakers seemed to be completely unaware of how to handle Westbrook, who needed the ball in his hands to be effective and was regarded as a poor jump-shooter during his best seasons.
On the other hand, James and Davis were the two top performers on a championship team in LA. Why should they have to bend over backward to accommodate Westbrook rather than Russ taking on a more active, effective role as a tertiary scorer? Why take the ball out of their hands?
The key to finally turning the Westbrook-enhanced Lakers into a winner is Russ himself becoming better without the ball. Ham has quite the task ahead of him when it comes to making sure Westbrook improves, as dozens of coaches have tried and failed to do the same thing.