The Los Angeles Lakers fell to a short-handed Brooklyn Nets team tonight, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis not participating in the game. Russell Westbrook was still used off the bench and had an inefficient double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Despite the Lakers making a comeback to make the game close in the third, they couldn’t keep up in the fourth and lost.
Westbrook’s deficiencies were once again on full display for people to scrutinize. The same issues from his nearly 2-year stint with LA could be seen, with careless turnovers and poor decision-making along with his inefficient shot. It seems the Lakers know Russ will be hard to utilize in the playoffs, with Eric Pincus reporting that the Lakers have concerns over Russ possibly in the playoffs.
“The Lakers are fighting to climb into the top 10 in the Western Conference. While coach Darvin Ham has found a viable role for Westbrook off the bench, the franchise does have concerns about his playoff viability, per multiple sources.” (h/t Bleacher Report)
The Lakers aren’t far removed from a playoff spot but are losing pace to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves with recent losses. LeBron James may not be healthy in time to return against New York tomorrow night, so LA’s problems may get worse after that matchup.
Will The Lakers Trade Russell Westbrook?
The production that Russ is giving the Lakers while on a $47 million contract is just not good enough. Even though he has been a useful sixth man, someone with that salary should be a bonafide star, especially with Westbrook being the Lakers’ highest earner ahead of LeBron and Anthony Davis.
With that contract, the Lakers could get up to 3 rotational players that will actively contribute within their roles to help the Lakers make the playoffs. If they’re shooters, they have utility in the playoffs alongside LeBron, unlike Russ, who isn’t an accurate shooter even on open opportunities. A trade with the San Antonio Spurs has been discussed, but it does look like the Lakers will stick with Russ, even with these concerns.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
