The Los Angeles Lakers reshaped almost their entire roster for the 2021-22 NBA season. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker are the only players still on the team that was on the roster at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.
The most recognizable new player on the team this season is point guard Russell Westbrook. The Lakers acquired the former MVP from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and the No. 22 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
There have been a lot of naysayers that believe the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook will not work out. It will take some time to adjust and build chemistry, but at the end of the day all three players have the same goal in mind; win an NBA Championship.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis won together in the 2020 Orlando Bubble, so you know Westbrook will be motivated to help them get another one and his first.
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James is excited to get to work with Westbrook, noting some of the impacts that he will have on the team as the starting point guard.
“Right away, he ups our pace right away,” James told ESPN. “He’s always in the top five as far as pace, whatever team that he is with. So being able to get out and being able to get out on the break and be able to try to get some early buckets before the defense is set — that creates that. But also he’s just a flat-out playmaker. I think what a lot of people don’t talk about in his game is how unbelievable of a passer he is. Everyone sees the rebounds, everyone sees the scoring and things of that nature, but his passing, his ability to make guys around him better, that does not get talked about a lot. We all look forward to that, being his teammate.”
It will certainly be a different dynamic for LeBron James playing alongside a playmaker the caliber of Westbrook. Normally, he is the lead playmaker on his teams when it comes to assists even if he wasn’t regarded as the point guard each season.
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Getting into the open court is something the Lakers could certainly use more of. It will help them get some easier baskets as they can feed off of their stifling defense. Westbrook is a one-man fastbreak and he can initiate it instantly off a defensive rebound.
Adding more open court opportunities to the mix will make the Los Angeles Lakers an even more dangerous team. It will also help mitigate the 3-point shooting woes they may have with some lineup combinations.
