Russell Westbrook is easily one of the best point guards of his generation. The issue that we have seen come over the last few seasons in Westbrook’s career is that he is having a hard time adjusting his game in situations where the roster isn’t built around him.
The Los Angeles Lakers hoped to make Westbrook a superstar role-player when they acquired him last season, as the third piece of a big three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The former MVP hasn’t had the impact he or anyone would hope from him on the court. That has led to a lot of slander against Russ, something Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless added to by comparing Westbrook to a girl with some crude analogies.
Shannon Sharpe: “Russ is that pretty girl you can’t wait to date but then you can’t wait to get rid of. That’s what LeBron found out. LeBron is like ‘Russ gets triple doubles, he plays hard’.
Skip Bayless: “Russ is like that pretty girl when you wake up the next morning and she has no makeup on and you’re like ‘wait a second’.
Unc Shannon sharpe & Skip bayless just killed Russell Westbrook 🤣🤣🤣
Shannon:”Russ is that pretty girl you can’t wait to date then you can’t wait to get rid of”
Skip:”He’s like that pretty girl & u wake up next morning & she has no makeup on & you’re like wait a second” pic.twitter.com/TCthdb6a15
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) September 21, 2022
Can The Lakers Benefit By Having Russell Westbrook On The Roster?
Russell Westbrook did the one thing the Lakers need both LeBron James and Anthony Davis to do and that’s being available through the year. Westbrook was always available for the Lakers and ended up leading the team in statistics like assists. There is a clear positive impact on the squad if Westbrook can learn to accept that the offense is not going to be tailored to his preferences.
The Lakers might benefit more by getting multiple players for Westbrook’s massive contract but if they can’t make that happen, they can still have a good year. If he commits to defense and the Lakers can find stations where LeBron and Russ don’t need to share the floor, the Lakers could end up doing some serious damage with Westbrook on the court.
This situation is unlikely, as the Lakers are rumored to be looking for trades to go through before Monday after they abruptly canceled a press conference on Tuesday, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Lakers do now.
