LeBron James Defends Russell Westbrook After Lakers' Loss to James Harden, Nets

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James defended Russell Westbrook against criticism after the team dropped its fifth straight game Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets.

Westbrook finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists but made only four of his 20 shots, and the Lakers were outscored by 23 points in his 37 minutes on the floor. 

"He gave us extra possessions, he gave us a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can't stand [failing to convert] as well," James told reporters. "But as far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I got no problem with that. It's a make-or-miss league."

The Lakers' Christmas loss to the Nets was particularly frustrating because Brooklyn was playing with a bare-bones roster because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyrie Irving are among the players who remain in health and safety protocols.

With the 16-18 Lakers sitting below .500 as the midway point of the season approaches, it's time to start reassessing the team's decision-making from last offseason—particularly the Westbrook acquisition. The Lakers have barely outscored opponents when James and Westbrook have played together this season, and they've been outscored by 2.7 points per 100 possessions when Westbrook and Anthony Davis share the floor. While the underlying numbers are better when all three stars play together, the Lakers are only 8-7 in those 15 games.

Injuries and health and safety protocols have played a part in those struggles, but it's clear something is amiss. Many viewed the Westbrook acquisition skeptically because of his need to have the ball in his hands to be effective. James, though still excellent playing without the ball, remains at his optimum effectiveness when he's controlling the offense.

Proponents of the move said Westbrook's night-in-and-night-out effort would help lessen the load on James (age) and Davis (injury-prone). That has not proved to be the case, as James and Davis are both playing their most minutes per game since joining the Lakers.

With Davis again injured and the Lakers packing their roster with aging role players, there is no obvious answer on how to lessen the load for an already disappointing team.