The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest question marks in the NBA ahead of the 2022-23 season. The Purple and Gold terribly failed to make noise last campaign, even missing their play-in tournament sport at the end of the regular season.
This term, they are keen to turn things around and prove doubters wrong. They couldn’t make a big move in the offseason, keeping Russell Westbrook on the roster for one more season. The former NBA MVP has been heavily criticized for his performances with the team, but Russ appears to have learned his lesson and is ready to show a new face.
Training camp is already underway, and the Lakers have been getting a lot of attention recently. They added new veterans and young players, and people want to see what adjustments Russ and the rest of the team made to become competitive again.
LeBron James And Russell Westbrook Show Better Things On The Lakers
Westbrook’s fit with LeBron James was terrible since the beginning, and many people knew that. However, the Lakers learned that the hard way after Russ and Bron couldn’t click on the court. This preseason, though, things appear to be changing. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, James and Westbrook are understanding each other better and have a ‘better synergy’ on the court.
Bryant and Jones were active in dribble handoffs, and Westbrook was more engaged as a screener, setting ball screens for James and Nunn on separate possessions. Beverley attacked in transition, finishing with a floater and missing a pull-up 3-pointer. Reaves got to the rim a few times, scoring over Nunn, dishing to Bryant for a dunk and getting blocked by Jones.
There appeared to be better synergy between James and Westbrook. Davis said that’s by design.
After multiple conversations over the summer, the three stars decided they needed to stop being afraid to step on each other’s toes and that playing with decisiveness rather than passivity would be best for the team.
“I think the biggest thing was everybody trying to be selfless and now everybody is being aggressive,” Davis said. “Russ, ‘You get it, go.’ Bron, ‘You get it, go.’ I get it and go. Whoever. And that’s been very helpful for all of us. Obviously, we’re unselfish teammates and we want to pass and do things (for our teammates), but at the same time, we have to get going as well. And I think that’s been the biggest change that we wanted to see from us three so far is whoever gets it, let’s be aggressive because it’s going to open up the floor for everybody else.”
New head coach Darvin Ham vowed to change things for the Lakers and it seems like his changes and new mentality are making a difference in his players. It’s still early to say that the Lakers are championship contenders, but it’s good to know that Russ, one of the most stubborn players in the league, is willing to make sacrifices for the team’s sake. This could be a good signal of what might be a terrific season for the Lakers.
