Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers made a trade for Russell Westbrook to form their iteration of a big three. With Westbrook added to the superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lake show was expected to compete for the title in the 2021-22 season.
But a season later, the Lakers are now scrambling to improve their roster. After making a plethora of moves in the free agency market, the Lakers now have entered the trade marker. Yesterday, the 2020 NBA champions traded away their young guard Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson for Patrick Beverley.
Beverley, who is a guard by position, is known for his tenacious gameplay and will be expected to do the same with the Lakers. Given that Pat Bev is a guard, many fans recently debated who they would rather start between Westbrook and Beverley.
Beverly is a better player than Westbrook https://t.co/LEjR5m4t1L
— curran (@cxrran) August 25, 2022
Bev is starting at the 2 and Russ will be the point guard like he’s been his whole career, y’all get up here everyday and show y’all don’t really know basketball https://t.co/SoEiFxA0H8
— yadig (@KingThangzz) August 25, 2022
— UncleVegas (@d_renzel) August 25, 2022
for this team and how it’s constructed pat bev easily https://t.co/vfcGr9C1NA
— MR Walk Away 🚶🏿➡️ (@Jusuf_Q) August 25, 2022
Bev because Russ ⬇️ https://t.co/IeAeWIEsOc pic.twitter.com/CbSpuiejSt
— ZILLA (@zayway___) August 25, 2022
None of them https://t.co/XnodUCsDLe
— James worthy burner (@WorthyBurner) August 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/ShiannKaloure/status/1562851965792833536
WESTBROOK!!!! https://t.co/JIz4vExaY6
— POPOUTPHILLY (@pc3laker) August 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/LongLostTJ_/status/1562846712229953536
The fact that this is even a question ..smh https://t.co/T6LFIEQ8oU
— Twitch : T__Holden 🧙🏽♂️ (@T__Holden) August 25, 2022
Cut it out bro https://t.co/eC21oe0GdZ
— DC (@NiceBeard_) August 25, 2022
Stop disrespecting Brodie like that https://t.co/UubcZJ18IC
— His Royal Freshness (@Nayqueezy133) August 25, 2022
While many fans might be thinking that it is fair to compare Beverley and Westbrook, it is pretty clear that Brodie is a clear standout in comparison to the Lakers’ latest acquisition. Although Russ might have had a poor campaign by his standards last season, the former MVP has time and again proven that he is a former MVP. Be it his pinpoint passes or his ever-present triple-doubles, Brodie has always found a way or two to impact the game.
A viable solution to this, though, would be starting both players, with Westbrook starting as the point guard and Beverley starting as a shooting guard. Given that Pat Bev will primarily be focused on defending the ball, starting him as the shooting guard might be a gamble worth taking. While it may lead to fewer points per game, the team will finally improve defensively.
The Lakers have a decent enough squad at their disposal right now. If they are firing on all cylinders for the upcoming season, they can surely be dark horse contenders. Where do you think the Lakers will end up?
