The condition of Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles Lakers It’s a recurring theme and doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. The California franchise has moved on trying to solve the presence of a scheme that is not part of its short-term and long-term plans.
Faced with the situation of a possible transfer that is still not possible, those of Darwin Hamm They have assembled the largest number of handlers to avoid being overly dependent on the 2017 MVP as was the case last year. Meanwhile, Westbrook continued to do his job, as he warned during half a day namely, fulfilling in court, competing and without filing any complaint.
The framework in the Los Angeles team is not easy to solve. With two talents capable of leading a team in the fight for the ring as LeBron James and Anthony Davis the possibilities are limitless, but those who accompany them are more art than talent. Strange cocktail for a return to the genteel zone of the West. All of this coupled with the awkward agent that Westbrook is in a way because of all the noise around him off the court.
During out of season Hamm assured that he hoped to make it Russ his sixth husband, something that hasn’t happened yet in the preseason and seems complicated to accomplish at this point. Beyond the symbolism of being a starter or a backup, the Lakers’ preseason meetings allowed some conclusions to be drawn about Russell Westbrook’s usage, role and fit.
Always with another manager on the field
The first and most notable observation of Russell Westbrook’s first few games on the revamped Lakers answers the team’s makeup for this run. The Angelenos chose to add as many managers to the team as possible.
In such a way that beyond LeBron James, There are players capable of creating their own shot, distributing and being able to switch defenses. A fact that, at the same time, allows Russ to move into other functions that do not necessarily have to do with those of a pure point guard.
This explains why the starting line-up used by Hamm in this pre-season was one made up of Beverly, Westbrook, Walker, James and Davis (14:22 minutes) which has left a balance of +5. In the background, the time the 2017 MVP has spent Dennis Schroder or Kendrick Nunn, an indication that when Rush is on the court he will always have another partner of his size and capabilities by his side.
Good association with Anthony Davies
Of the few positives that remained of Westbrook’s final year was his connection in the middle of the court Anthony Daviswhich were combined with 128 assists (100 from point guard), This is the best percentage for the Lakers according to PBP statistics. That association has carried over somewhat into the preseason, which is cause for optimism should AD manage to stay healthy.
Westbrook was able to connect with the interior on both ttransition (alley-opps), in the low post (system run) and in 2v2 situations (direct screen). The sample size is too small and the context doesn’t invite firm conclusions, but if there’s one player on the Lakers team that still fits, it’s Davis.
Game without the ball, the big problem
Again, it’s not easy to find a way to make sense out of a player whose essence is offensive production with a high usage rate. Darwin Hamm he has to make sure the ball doesn’t spend too much time in Westbrook’s hands to keep the offense flowing. This means the point guard has to play an off-ball role for most of the possession, which opposing defenses can capitalize on given their lack of outside shots.
Unlike Frank Vogel, whose plans ended with Russ in a corner or baseline most of the time, Hamm seems to have opted to take him out of the paint by elbowing him. This very specific distance should favor the virtues of the star by allowing it to receive and penetrate, compressing its explosiveness. An example of this is that so far it has produced 1.25 points per possession on his actions catch&drive.
The point here is that Westbrook doesn’t have the majority of the Lakers’ possessions “takes part” they leave him on the weak side of the ball. This means that the opponent’s help to the area is greater and regulates the offensive fluidity although it favors the possible back balance in the defense.
vices of the past
As much as you want to change nothing happens overnight, except for a player in the style of Russell Westbrook. Last year, the 2017 MVP’s 2017 MVP’s performance was greatly hampered by the Lakers’ offensive excesses and uncoherent individual actions.
In the short time this preseason has been, Russ has put up some uninspiring sequences that reflect a player whose prime has passed. He doesn’t enjoy the explosiveness of the past, which makes his defenders react quickly to his movements, and without success falling back, the best solution is to stop trying.
In the matches he has played, he has barely produced anything 0.6 points per possession on washouts and 0.6 also on transitions, two of the pillars of his game.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
