Russell Westbrook is coming off the bench in Los Angeles now, and the switch by Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has seemingly taken Westbrook’s hesitation away.
It is very difficult to shoot a basketball under NBA-level defensive pressure — though you can’t tell that to Steph Curry, Kevin Durant or Luka Doncic. And the degree of difficulty is multiplied if, as you rise up to shoot, a little voice in the back of your mind says “should I really be shooting this or passing it to LeBron?”
Even if you’re a former NBA MVP, that voice will knock some shots off target, as Westbrook’s brutal shooting as a Laker has shown.
Now the sixth man role has freed Russ, and he’s responded by playing without the doubt and the hesitation on offense that comes with it. Since moving to the reserve role Westbrook has shot better than 50% from the floor — and from 3-point territory too — a remarkable shift for a career 44% FG shooter,
But Lakers fans are still frustrated with their 2-8 club, since it was easy to blame Westbrook;’s execrable shooting for the Lakers woes. After each poor Westbrook outing, fans would loudly bemoan his acquisition and posit how trading Russ would restore the Lakers glory. But clearly the answer is more complicated.
Because now even with Westbrook’s shooting on track, the reality is that the Lakers are among the poorest defensive teams in the NBA, sharing last place in team D ranking with the woeful Magic and Rockets.
The defense is so porous that even with Westbrook shooting 8-of-14, including 2-of-3 from three, the Lakers were obliterated 139-116 by the deeply talented Utah Jazz on election eve.
The Lakers played without LeBron James, which left their defensive problems even more exposed. Westbrook didn’t help there — he committed five fouls in 24 minutes.
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