Lakers: Russell Westbrook Remains Focused On Connecting With His Team
The Lakers have just 26 games to figure out if they have what it takes to win a title this year. Through their first 56 games of the season, they've put together only 26 wins and are currently the number 9 seed in a weaker Western Conference. It's very bad right now.
The blame can be placed all over the Lakers organization, despite how much media would like to pin it on one or two people. The front office built a team that was full of guys past their prime. Despite the many awards and accolades to their names, so many players on the roster are far beyond their good years on a court.
The trade for Russell Westbrook is just one of the mistakes most highlighted given how much it handcuffed the team this season. But Russ isn't ready to throw in the towel or even focus on the standings. Instead, he wants to make sure the team is playing like a team.
“Just try to get connected, try and make sure that we’re doing things we know we can do at a high level and collectively doing it together and playing the right way, playing good basketball. That’s all you can do at this point. Your record and all that stuff doesn’t mean much like I’ve mentioned before. As long as we’re playing how we want to play towards the end of the year, that’s most important.”
The names alone should encourage Lakers fans to think that the season could be turned around. Between Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, there is reason to hope that Los Angeles can compete this year.
But they need to find something that works for them. They don't have the depth that they did during their championship season, and it's not going to magically appear for them. Guys like Stanley Johnson and Malik Monk have given them a boost, and even Carmelo Anthony is playing better than expected off of the bench.
But aside from some spotty production from Austin Reaves, that's where the bench depth falls off. There is time to figure it out, but it's quickly running out.
