Former LA Champ Highlights Russell Westbrook's Lakers Tenure Bright Spots
We are just about a year removed from the end of the Russell Westbrook era in purple and gold. When Russ first arrived to the franchise, the fanbase was quite surprised. Just two seasons ago, the Lakers were hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in the bubble and their roster appeared to have very few weaknesses.
But after barely sneaking into the 2021 playoffs and falling to the Phoenix Suns after a year defined by some serious injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the front office decided it was time to get a bonafide star that could help take the pressure off of them.
Wing depth and draft picks landed them Westbrook and they filled out the rest of their squad with veterans who were still very talented but on the later ends of their career. The former MVP found himself in a number of awkward lineups and situations on the court with the Lakers and his best performances arguably came when he took on a sixth man role (16 ppg, 7 apg, 6 rpg in 49 games).
However, LA was on track to miss the postseason for the second straight year during the 2023 trade deadline and they decided to clean house and move Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a multi-team deal.
Fast-forward one year later and D'Angelo Russell is LA's starting point guard while Westbrook has accepted a bench role with the Clippers.
Even though plenty of Lakers fans point out the negatives of Russ' time with the purple and gold, former Lakers champion Trevor Ariza defended him recently.
"Every single night Russ put his heart hat on. He does everything that you ask of him. They were asking him to go play in the dunker spot... That’s not his game. When you put anybody in the situation Where you have Bron on your team, he’s not coming off the rock. Russ is a point guard."
(Via Club Shay Shay)
