John Wall vs. Russell Westbrook
Before the start of the 2020-21 season, the Houston Rockets traded Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall. In Houston, Wall only played in 40 games last season, but he showed flashes of his old self in those games.
Wall finished the year averaging 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and shot 40.4% from the floor. He may not be a perimeter shooting threat, but the former All-Star point guard proved that he still has his athleticism and more importantly, can still play at a high level after all of his past injuries.
However, the Rockets have not played Wall at all because of the fact that they are building with their young talents. The veteran point guard no longer has a role with this Houston Rockets franchise, which is why he is currently sitting out waiting for a new opportunity in his career.
Russell Westbrook is arguably the best athlete in the entire NBA and one of the most dynamic players of all time, but the main concern many had when the Lakers first traded for him was that his ego and his style of play would not mesh with that of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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The three stars came together in July and had a private meeting to “set aside their egos” so Los Angeles could compete for a title, but James is still the same kind of player, Davis has regressed if anything and Russ has not changed at all to fit in.
Being a major liability defensively and really not helping the Lakers on offense other than scoring in transition, Russell Westbrook’s time in Los Angeles needs to come to an end sooner than later if this team is going to have any shot of making a playoff run this year.
We should never count out a LeBron James-led team, but James is almost 37-years-old, has shown signs of deterioration over the last couple of seasons, and can no longer carry his team to a title. James needs help like almost every other All-Star in this league, but Russ has not helped this team in any way.
John Wall could step up for the Lakers where Russell Westbrook could not and he would actually be a factor on defense. Maybe he is not as fast as he used to be and maybe Wall cannot play as many minutes as Westbrook, but what he can do is keep a guy in front of him defensively and play off of guys like LeBron and Davis on offense.
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While he has always been a very ball-centric type of player that runs an offense, Wall would have no problem embracing the “third All-Star role,” especially if that means that he can get back on the court and play again.
The Houston Rockets are currently rebuilding and as a result, John Wall has been sidelined indefinitely until he and management can find a solution for his future. It is clear the Rockets do not want him anymore, but it is very hard to find a way to trade a guy who is making $44.3M this season and then $47.3M next season.
The Lakers would definitely be hesitant to bring in this kind of contract for a player labeled as a “liability” because of past injuries, but at the same time, they are paying Russell Westbrook virtually the same amount and he has been nothing but a liability for them.
They are not going to get worse bringing in John Wall, which is why when you compare the two in the Lakers’ system, you almost have to give the edge to Wall. Westbrook has failed this team time and time again this season and at some point, Rob Pelinka is going to have seen enough.
