The Los Angeles Lakers made a controversial move when they traded for Russell Westbrook, not because he’s not a star but because of a questionable fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Nonetheless, Dwight Howard believes that Westbrook will do just fine with the purple and gold, as he’s been used to playing with other superstars throughout his entire career:
“I think it will work great. He’s played with superstars before. He’s played with KD and James (Harden), he’s played with Bradley Beal, he’s played with so many superstars, so I don’t think that will be a problem for him. I think he has been underappreciated. I think all of us, really, have been underappreciated. But I know that we appreciate each other. We all appreciate what we each bring to the table for this team.
So I think having a guy like Russ is going to get you 15, 16, 20 points a night. He’s going to get you 12 rebounds, he’s going to get you 10 assists, and he’s going to play 110% every single night. How can you not appreciate that? So I’m gonna tell you: ‘I appreciate you, Russ!’ And we ain’t even played a game on the same team yet. But I appreciate what you do, and I think everyone in L.A. is going to appreciate it when you’re holding up that trophy at the end of the season. Why not? There we go! Let’s get it y’all!”
Howard has a valid point. It’s not like it’s the first time that Westbrook has to share the court with other ball-dominant players. In terms of ego, he’s got that part covered.
The issue with Westbrook and the Lakers is that neither he nor Davis or James are exactly lights-out shooters and that may hurt the team’s spacing. Then again, they’re just too good not to figure things out eventually.
