Regardless of what the L.A. Lakers do, they are not going to convince any intelligent person that Russell Westbrook is the main reason that they are struggling. The Lakers lost with Westbrook out of the lineup due to injury, and on Friday night they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-102 after removing Westbrook from the starting lineup. Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 29 points, Rudy Gobert tallied 22 points plus a game-high 21 rebounds, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for the Timberwolves. LeBron James, lauded as a "pass first" player, fired up a game-high 24 field goal attempts, made 10 of them, and is now 28 points closer to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's regular season career scoring record.
You might get your press pass revoked if you mention that James had a -13 plus/minus number and that he shot just 1-6 from three point range. James is in remarkable physical condition considering his age and longevity. Is it too much to ask him to drive to the hoop and stop shooting so many three pointers? James is shooting .244 from three point range this season, and it's not like he is drawing a lot of defensive attention when he pulls up from the logo; opposing teams breathe a sigh of relief every time James takes a long jump shot, and that has been the case throughout his career--but, since arriving in L.A., James has vastly increased his three point attempts while decreasing his forays into the paint.
Five games into the season, Anthony Davis is living up to the "Street Clothes" nickname bestowed by Charles Barkley, sitting out due to a sore back. Meanwhile, each of the Lakers' five starters had negative plus/minus numbers versus the Timberwolves. Starting guards Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker IV combined for 12 points, 5-14 field goal shooting, and a -26 plus/minus number. Remember, last season Westbrook averaged 18.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 7.1 apg in what was considered an off year for him. That would be a career year for Beverley or Walker IV, yet there are many media members who can keep a straight face while saying that it is smart for the Lakers to bench Westbrook and start those guys.
Prior to Friday's game, Westbrook had logged 1007 consecutive regular season starts, the third longest active streak behind only Chris Paul and LeBron James. It would be inconceivable to bench Paul or James, but Westbrook has not cultivated the power and media support that they have.
Westbrook cannot singlehandedly fix this train wreck but the Lakers did not lose any ground during his 33 minutes versus the Timberwolves, as he finished second on the team in scoring (18 points on 6-17 field goal shooting) while tying for the team lead in rebounds (eight), and logging a plus/minus number of 0. So much is said about Westbrook's shooting, but he won an MVP and two scoring titles despite not being a great shooter. Westbrook's career-long greatness was not predicated on his shooting, and the Lakers would still be sorry even if Westbrook were, to use James' term, a "laser" from long distance.
Media members have repeatedly reported that the L.A. Lakers are trying to trade Westbrook. Assuming that those reports are accurate, it would be a strange strategy for the Lakers to diminish Westbrook's value while placing him on the trading block--but the Lakers have employed a lot of strange strategies since James signed with the team in 2018. Although the Lakers won the 2020 championship as James captured the Finals MVP, the Lakers twice missed the playoffs and once lost in the first round in his other three seasons in L.A. Put another way, other than a championship won at the end of a suspended and shortened season finished playing in the Orlando "bubble," the Lakers have won two playoff games in the past four seasons. As player/general manager, James has assembled a roster in which the majority of the players are represented by Klutch Sports, the agency run by his friend Rich Paul. If James is concerned about a lack of "lasers" on that roster, he has only himself to blame.
This season is about one goal for the Lakers: making sure that James breaks Abdul-Jabbar's record while wearing a Lakers uniform. If the goal were to win a championship--or even just be a playoff team--then the roster would have been built differently, and James would be playing differently. The Lakers bet their future on being able to win a championship with James and Davis leading the way, and that bet paid off, but it will be a surprise if the Lakers win another title--or even a playoff series--any time soon.
It is fascinating to watch James demote Westbrook to the bench rather than relinquish his monopoly on the ball and his stranglehold on pace of play. When the Lakers acquired Westbrook, I naively assumed that this meant that Westbrook would run a fast break attack with James and Davis filling the wings. Westbrook thrives in a fast-paced game when he can attack the hoop to score or dish to open teammates. Westbrook is not a shooting guard, and playing off of the ball is not his strong suit. As has been the case throughout James' career, his All-Star teammates have to adjust to him, not the other way around. James has won four championships because he is one of the greatest players of all-time, but no All-Star caliber player has consistently played better alongside James than he played before or after playing with James.
In contrast, Kevin Durant won his only regular season MVP while playing alongside Westbrook. Paul George finished third in regular season MVP voting playing alongside Westbrook (he never finished higher than ninth sans Westbrook), and James Harden had his second best scoring average plus his third best field goal percentage since leaving Oklahoma City in his one season playing alongside Westbrook in Houston (they also played together in Oklahoma City, when Harden had his most efficient shooting season). In his lone season playing alongside Westbrook, Bradley Beal averaged 30.5 ppg, nearly five ppg more than he had ever averaged before.
Westbrook has been the best player on playoff teams, and he has proven that he not only can play well with other All-Stars but that he can bring the best out of those All-Stars. James has lifted his teams because of his singular greatness, but he has not lifted the individual performances of his All-Star teammates.
Yet we are supposed to believe that the Lakers' failures are primarily Westbrook's fault!
The Lakers can start Westbrook, bench Westbrook, or trade Westbrook, but nothing that they do with Westbrook is going to fundamentally alter the way that this team is constructed or the way that this team will play as long as James is chasing Abdul-Jabbar's record and Davis is satisfied with his one championship ring plus his 75th Anniversary Team jacket.