The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to figure it out, and it’s largely down to Russell Westbrook’s play.
After Westbrook had a frankly terrible start to his Lakers’ tenure last season and navigated all the trade rumors this offseason, Westbrook has been at the center of the purple and gold turn after their slow start.
The newly created roster started this campaign 2-10 and fans feared the worst as losses piled up early. Since then, their fortunes have slowly but surely changed, coinciding with the former MVP’s agreeing to come off the bench for his teammates and head coach Darvin Ham.
That might have saved the season.
Since his sacrifice, the point guard has averaged 15.8 points, 7.9 assists and 5 rebounds per game, a notable performance increase from his first three games as a starter, who averaged just 10.3 points per game.
Westbrook has also passed the eye test with flying colors since leading the second unit. While his minutes are staggered with the regulars, the 34-year-old plays mostly with opposing bench units and has dominated the secondary line-ups.
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This season, his healthy 7.4 assists per game leads the entire roster and is most evident in his pick-and-roll association with Lakers greats Anthony Davis, Wenyen Gabriel and Thomas Bryant.
Sales are declining
Staying with the box score, perhaps the most impressive clue to Westbrook’s rejuvenation is his reduction in the sales department.
Historically known as a revenue engine, Westbrook’s biggest area of growth has been protecting the ball and giving the Lakers more opportunities to score. This is a monumental plus for the Lakers, as Westbrook has led the league on four separate occasions during his career and in the 2017-18 season had the second-highest single season total in league history.
Westbrook’s improvement in this area was outstanding after the Lakers’ recent 133-129 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, as it marked the first time in his career that he had 0 turnovers in back-to-back games.
The first game was a win over the Portland Trailblazers, in which the explosive guard had four assists and no flaws. Against the Bucks, Westbrook served up 11 helpers and didn’t turn the ball over.
The Lakers hope this can continue.
In both competitions, Westbrook was a net positive on the floor, and his minutes became less and less erratic as games progressed.
After a rocky start to the season, the Lakers’ world seemed to be falling apart, but after winning 7 of their last 9 games they suddenly find themselves just 3 games behind the top 4 in the West.
If Westbrook continues to protect the ball and produce at a high level alongside star teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers could not only make the playoffs but also make real noise when it counts.
