Russell Westbrook is considered one of the players with the most to prove this upcoming NBA season. Following a disappointing first year on the Los Angeles Lakers, Russ is ready to bounce back and show that he’s not done and can be a valuable piece around the league.
The Lakers are reportedly comfortable having Russ on the roster now that training camp is getting close, but this hasn’t stopped the rumors about a potential Westbrook exit in the near future. With Patrick Beverley making his way to Los Angeles from Utah, many speculated that Russ’ time at Crypto.com Arena was over, but the reality is very different.
Still, people keep talking about Westbrook leaving the Lakers soon, and others have terrible predictions for the rest of his career. Brodie has a big chance to turn things around, but if he doesn’t, it’ll be hard for him to remain in the league for a long time.
NBA Fan Compares Russell Westbrook’s Career To Allen Iverson
Recently, one NBA fan came up with an interesting comparison between Westbrook and another controversial player whose career was shut down thanks to a variety of factors. Sharin Ourian shared a post where we can see what Iverson and Russ have in common right now and what could happen to the 2017 NBA MVP to end up exactly like The Answer.
– 10+ years as a star for their first team
– Made the NBA Finals but couldn’t win
– Became NBA MVPs
– Won multiple scoring champions
– Were selected to multiple NBA All-Star Games
– Won multiple All-Star Game MVPs
– Bounced around teams after turning 30
Now, what Russ is yet to prove is that he can adjust to a different role, which didn’t happen with Iverson. He wanted to be the star of a team and had a difficult time when he realized he wasn’t perceived as that guy anymore. Another team that could happen to Russ is that he ends up his career with his first team after doing nothing with them.
Darvin Ham has expressed his desire to change Westbrook’s role in his Lakers, but it all comes to the player to see if he wants to make the adjustment or make everything complicated for everybody. Recent rumors suggest he’s open to a trade away from the Lakers, preferably to a team that wants to use him as the old Russ.
This is an interesting situation for the Lakers, and we’ll have to wait until free agency to see if Russ can extend his career as Carmelo Anthony did, or if he would be a player that didn’t accept that his time was already past them.
