There are a lot of people that believe the Los Angeles Lakers are making a mistake by bringing Russell Westbrook back for a second NBA season. Can you blame them?
After seeing what happened last season, it is hard to imagine running things back with the same core, but that is where the Lakers are at.
With a new head coach in Darvin Ham, they will attempt to use Westbrook in different ways to get the most out of him. He has not been guaranteed a starting spot as Ham will evaluate throughout training camp what the best thing to do with him is.
Trading him is what some people believe is the best thing to do, but that doesn’t seem like a feasible option currently. Unwilling to trade multiple first-round picks to move on from him, Westbrook will likely be on the team’s roster once the regular season begins.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Russell Westbrook & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
He is motivated to prove the people wrong that believe that he can no longer produce at a high level. Westbrook recently spoke to ESPN about several topics and one of them was him refuting the idea that he is washed up.
“I’m not even close to being done,” Westbrook said. “I’m super grateful and blessed to be able to go compete year after year, and that’s all I can do is prepare myself, my mind, my body for as long as I play.”
“I’m going to make mistakes. I’m [occasionally] not going to have good games. There will be times and stretches when I don’t play well. I’ve owned that, and there were times last year that I could’ve played better, and I own that part of it. Moving into this year, I feel even more prepared than I was in years past. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most. That, right there, will get me past any struggles that come my way.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Russell Westbrook & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
It felt like, at times, no one was really prepared for the 2021-22 campaign. Westbrook never found his niche to get comfortable playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which is partly on the coaching staff but also on Westbrook for failing to adjust his style of play.
With an open mindset heading into the 2022-23 season, the results will hopefully be better for Westbrook and the Lakers. Playing on an expiring contract, this is possibly the last chance that he will have to prove that he is someone capable of helping a team win games even if it requires him to play a role that he has not previously done in his career.
