The Russell Westbrook Experiment Hasn’t Worked

Russell Westbrook has not been the sole problem in Los Angeles this season, as injuries and durability have been bigger problems for this year’s Lakers team, but Westbrook’s struggles have definitely contributed to the fall of the Lakers this season. 

The problem with Westbrook in Los Angeles is the fact that he is such a ball-dominant player and he has not been able to be such a player next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

The idea of these three superstars being able to put aside their “egos” to win a championship was believable at first, but none of them are wanting to change the way they play in order to benefit the group. 

LeBron James needs to have the ball in his hands in order for the Lakers to operate and while Russell Westbrook could be an off-the-ball threat in terms of slashing towards the rim and back-cutting from the perimeter, the Lakers oftentimes just stand around offensively and they look like they are playing pick-up basketball at the local YMCA! 

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Simply, the Lakers do not have the right talent in place to be a championship threat this season and they will be going back to the drawing boards in the offseason. 

They have zero cap space, they are paying a ton of money in luxury taxes and the Lakers have no valuable assets that they can trade away, hence why they were not able to improve their roster at the trade deadline. 

Now, the underlying question revolving around this Lakers franchise is what is next for Russell Westbrook?