Russell Westbrook revealed the mindset of the Los Angeles Lakers players after their convincing 130-114 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
The guard played his part by pouring in 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists, while LeBron James led from the front again with 25 points. Dennis Schroder picked up from where he left off to chip in with 21 points.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the win, Westbrook spoke of the team’s preparation keeping in mind the possibility of one or both of their big stars getting injured. Per ESPN:
“There are going to be times where guys go down, unfortunately, and we have a group of guys that have just been preparing themselves for when it’s their moment to play and play well. Seems like we’ve been hitting a good stride of figuring that out.”
The last couple of games have seen some all-around efforts from the Lakers, improving their record to 18-21, although they’re yet to break into the Top 10 in a stacked Western Conference.
According To NBA Sources, A Russell Westbrook Trade Is Reportedly Off The Table
Russell Westbrook’s future with the Lakers has been one of the talking points since the offseason. This year also saw him come off the bench as the sixth man for the first time since his rookie year.
But Westbrook has done all he could, averaging 14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists this season. Earlier, the Lakers and the Indiana Pacers were involved in talks about trading him for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, their long-time targets, but Jeanie Buss was reluctant to part with the explosive guard.
A more recent update came from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, saying the Westbrook trade was “off the table.”
“From my understanding, I think a Russ trade is probably off the table at this point,” Buha said. “I think the one exception would be – in most scenarios, they would have to attach two picks. I think at this point, the only way they would do that, trade him, would be one pick or no picks and at this point that’s just not out there.”
For now, the Lakers have been benefiting from his playmaking. But with the injury to Anthony Davis putting their postseason bid in jeopardy, the front office will have their work cut out for them, and that means his future with the Lakers will be determined closer to the trade deadline.
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