Russell Westbrook is a player that has often been criticized this season. He has been unable to find his rhythm with the Los Angeles Lakers, and many fans and analysts that cover the team have criticized him for his inefficient and turnover-heavy playstyle.
There have been previous suggestions by some analysts, such as Skip Bayless that Russell Westbrook should be the sixth man for the team. It seems as though those suggestions are also being echoed within the Los Angeles Lakers organization.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has recently revealed that there has been “an increasing push among many” within the organization to “demote” Russell Westbrook to a bench role. However, Wojnarowski also stated that Frank Vogel “has resisted” that idea thus far.
There has been an increasing push among many in the Los Angeles Lakers organization to demote nine-time All-Star guard Russell Westbrook from the starting lineup, but so far coach Frank Vogel has resisted bringing him off the bench, sources told ESPN.
The coaching staff and Westbrook have had differing visions on how best to utilize the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player, and that has partly accounted for some tense moments between Vogel and Westbrook in the past several days, including during a Friday team film session, sources said.
The mounting frustrations reflect a season spiraling into freefall. The Lakers have lost 11 of their past 14 games, including four in a row, to drop to 27-35. L.A. is only a half-game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans to keep ninth place in the Western Conference.
It remains to be seen if those suggestions from members of the organization will affect rotation decisions by Frank Vogel in the future. Russell Westbrook is a high-usage player, so perhaps moving him to the bench could help him succeed, as he wouldn’t be clashing with LeBron James for the ball-handling duties.
Hopefully, the Los Angeles Lakers are able to figure things out in the future and start winning more games. The regular season is almost ending, but perhaps we’ll see them make a late-season push and try and string together some wins ahead of their participation in the play-in tournament.
