There was a time, not long ago, when Russell Westbrook It was him best athlete in nba. Unstoppable in transition, an opportunity maximizer and someone who raised the overall level of his team by taking on a huge load of responsibility. Knowing when your moment has passed and your physical fullness is not something so simple and obvious for players to recognize. Many retire before this happens, or else manage to modify their game to adapt to the new reality. Although most superstars never make it.
Since last season Rush has been trying to find himself as a player Los Angeles Lakers. The environment in the Los Angeles franchise hasn’t been the friendliest or most stable in the world, which has created a somewhat toxic climate for anything related to the 2017 MVP.
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Upon his arrival Darwin Ham tThey were all promises of change in relation to Westbrook. From turning him into a corner kicker to making him the best version of himself again. However, it was ultimately his move to the second unit that may have saved the home stretch of the soon to be 34-year-old point guard’s career.
From home delivery to… sealing the Lakers’ SECOND victory
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Westbrook, at first, wasn’t too eager to take on his role sixth man. And it’s that in American culture the fact that you’re not a beginner matters more compared to other places on the planet. Starting over is a status, something that is earned and maintained over time, regardless of performance on the field. Russ made his position clear in front of the media when asked during the preparation, arguing that it might cause him physical problems since he was not used to it and he would have to modify all his routines, which makes sense on the other hand.
Nonetheless, three games was enough as a sixth man of the Lakers to verify that, in fact, It was a blow and a way to make sense of Russell Westbrook on the team. In that span, the Californians added their only two wins of the season, the most recent against the Pelicans in last minute (120-117), falling behind by only 9 points against the Timberwolves. These were Russ’ traditional stats during this time:
- vs. Wolves: 18 points on 6-of-17 field goal shooting (35.3%), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, +/- 0
- vs. Nuggets: 18 points on 6 of 12 field goals (50%), 8 rebounds, 8 assists, +18 on the floor
- vs. Pelicans: 13 points on 6 of 10 field goals (60%), 7 rebounds, 9 assists, +4 on the floor
But what really mattered wasn’t the star’s individual stats, but how he’s impacted since occupying the role of deputy. In the first three games he started, the Lakers’ second unit ranked 29th in offensive efficiency and 5th in defensive efficiency for -5.4 net score, in the next three have improved to 26th in offense and 2nd in defense, achieving +3.3. ONE an improvement of 8.7 points net score which makes clear the push Westbrook has given to LA’s bench since it’s his sixth man.
The main partner the 2017 MVP had in this period was Austin Reeves, with whom he seems to have forged a fantastic relationship. This explains why the third pair with the most minutes is left a +10.8 from net score. On the other hand, the holder he has performed the best with has been proven Lonnie Walker (+25.4 in 53 minutes), they’re also the Lakers’ best pairing in these last three games. Without further ado, the worst two-player combos incorporate beginners:
- Patrick Beverly and Lonnie Walker: -20.6 in 51 minutes
- LeBron James and Patrick Beverley: -19.4 in 66 minutes
- LeBron James and Troy Brown: -11.7 in 61 minutes
Not surprisingly, handing Russell Westbrook the keys to a nearly independent second unit from the starting scheme is working. As the centerpiece of a quintet without more stars, the base is one of the biggest and best impact players in the league, especially in the short term. This explains why the Californian player was the second highest usage rate since becoming a substitute (26.9%), surpassed only by Kevin Love (28.4%).
Moving Westbrook into a sixth man role seems to have worked well, but nothing in the NBA lasts forever and the Lakers should be careful. More so when you consider that the Pelicans and Nuggets (their two wins) have two of the 10 worst benches in the league.
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