Russell Westbrook Is Exactly What Los Angeles Lakers Need to Rebuild Dynasty
Thursday night, in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, two possibilities emerged: Russell Westbrook may not retire in OKC and Coach Scott Brooks may not be the man for the job in the long term.
When Brooks took Westbrook out of the game and benched him for the entire fourth quarter, an alarm went off in the heads of Thunder fans. He may not be such a stable member of the franchise like one would expect a Kevin Durant-type superstar to be. Westbrook might want out and it may be sooner than later.
Luckily for LA, this separation between the player and staff is happening at such a vital time in Westbrook’s career. It is a stretch to think that he would venture off to play with the established men of LA., but, when you sit back and think about what it would do for his career and the Lakers’ dynasty, it seems like a logical move.
Russell is a very young talent who is still learning to reel in his attitude when faced with adversity. Shouting and screaming for about three minutes after your coach disciplines you for bad play does not seem too effective on a team where there are plenty of other scoring options and ball handlers.
However, the Lakers are known for taking some of the biggest personalities and throwing them into roles that force their game and personal characteristics to rapidly mature. Westbrook would be expected to devote himself to his own skill set—shooting and driving.
But if he feels like he has a mismatch and can utterly dominant his opponent, why shouldn’t he take advantage? The positions in the NBA are used to define the roles of the players more accurately for the public, but it should constrict the player to a role that wastes his talents.
If Westbrook were in L.A., he would be able to fully showcase his skills without undue criticism. Kobe Bryant has been praised for years in LA, but there have been moments where he took too many shots and the box scores did not show it.
The city thrives off of players who can create explosive plays and put up huge numbers. Russell Westbrook is the ideal guy for the Lakers due to his youth and immense talent. The fact that he has not reached his full potential is a little staggering because that means the franchise would be able to mold him into the player they want him to be.
In the rebuilding stages of this long tenured dynasty, the Lakers need someone they can depend upon on the perimeter and in the paint. Westbrook displays moments of bad shot selection in crucial moments, but that is something that can be tamed and tweaked along the way.
In OKC, Kendrick Perkins is the only true veteran and isn't the type of mentor that will help Westbrook take his game to the next level. The Lakers team is filled with players that would be able to positively influence him.
Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant would be the greatest tutors as far as finding the balance between ball movement and shooting. Both players have great ball handling skills, and their speed, although not as impressive as before, compares favorably with Westbrook’s.
Russell Westbrook may not be on the first train out of Oklahoma City, but he may be looking for a team pretty soon that will allow him to play to his strengths without criticism. Kevin Durant would hate to see him go, but I’m not so sure about Scott Brooks.
