Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers were victorious against the Los Angeles Lakers in last night’s matchup. While it was a close game in the second half, the Lakers had to come back from 2 separate 15-point deficits. A tough shooting night from Russell Westbrook was costly, as the point guard went 0-11 in a game where the Lakers fell to a close 4-point loss.
Westbrook has been linked in trade rumors all summer and has been heavily scrutinized since joining the Lakers. Last night’s performance had Westbrook play fantastic defense but have a nightmarish game offensively, giving more ammunition to his critics. Former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate and current Clippers’ star Paul George defended Russ from his haters after the game.
“I don't get the shade or the hate or the stuff that's thrown at him. He's one of the best players to ever play this game…He was very easily a 30-10-and-10 guy when he had the keys to the team. We can't forget about that.”
– Paul George on Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/0d8m0C7KdN
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 21, 2022
PG13 is right. Westbrook has had an incredible career, especially during his MVP prime with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But his inability to adjust his role as he has aged has made him nearly unplayable, while still being on the massive contract he received in OKC.
Should The Lakers End The Russell Westbrook Experiment?
The trade to acquire Russell Westbrook was one of the most damaging moves the Lakers have made given how asset-bare it has left them. They lost young two-way forward Kyle Kuzma and a 3-and-D specialist in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, along with Montrezl Harrell in that trade.
Keeping all those players or making different moves in the 2021 offseason like keeping Alex Caruso and signing DeMar DeRozan would have made the fortunes of this Lakers franchise look very different. They still have the opportunity to flip Russ into multiple rotational players, so that is an option they can always explore.
Their shooting struggles might be remedied by trading Russ to acquire Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, one being a competent shooting center to pair with Anthony Davis and the other being the player with the second-highest average of 3-pointers made per game behind Stephen Curry. The price of the trade is 2 first-round picks, but as the season progresses, the Lakers may be forced to take that path.
