Los Angeles Lakers: Russell Westbrook Is In A No-Win Situation

By: Mark T. Wilson

Let’s get this out the way early. Russell Westbrook is not a role player. Well, not in the way Charles Barkley views him. Barkley is a Hall of Famer and at times, a spot-on analyst. But there are times when he needs to keep his mouth closed. This is one of those times.

Barkley said Westbrook should come off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers after his dismal showing in his debut for the Lakers Tuesday night. Westbrook scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 4 assist in 35 minutes. Not his normal stat line but when are players not allowed to have an off night?

This is the same Westbrook who put the Washington Wizards on his back last season and led them to the playoffs. This is the same player who has averaged a triple-double 4 of the last 5 seasons. And with one game, he’s been labeled a bench player.

I said at halftime they can’t play him and [Rajon] Rondo together, they’re not good shooters. I would play Russ with the second unit, and I speed them up and make them play full court. ‘Cause in the half-court you’re going to go to LeBron or AD, ’cause they’re the two best players. But Russ, we’re not going to run plays with him, he’s not a great shooter. So put him out there with the second unit, and let them play much faster. That’s what I would do.

To be fair, I guess the same can be said for Anthony Davis and James Harden who both have had struggle games since joining new teams. Hell, which player has not had one of these games?

But what Barkley is saying is that Westbrook is in a no-win situation while with the Los Angeles Lakers.

If Westbrook struggles and the Lakers stumble, then he gets the blame for not being as dominant as he once was. But does he really need to be that player anymore? He has shown that he can take over if need be but isn’t that the problem people have with him?

Westbrook shoots too much. All he cares about are stats and not winning. That’s what’s being said about him, right? So, if he comes out and begins to take 17-20 shots per game, now he’s a gunner and ignoring his All-Star teammates.

But what if he continues to be what Rajon Rondo was for the Boston Celtics or what Draymond Green is to the Golden State Warriors? But that’s not what people want. For some reason, Westbrook is that NBA player who can go from most beloved to most hated in the same game.

They want him to take control but then they want him to be under control. Westbrook has never changed his game. Not for Kevin Durant, James Harden, or Bradley Beal. So, he’s supposed to change it for LeBron and Davis? He can average a triple-double with stats 0f 10, 10, and 10 but then again, he’ll take heat for not doing more.

The only way Westbrook can come out like a winner here is by walking away with a championship. If he doesn’t, he will get hit with the same narratives that have followed him his entire career.

According to everyone who swears they have basketball knowledge, Westbrook is the problem. He couldn’t win with Durant. Couldn’t win with Harden, twice. Couldn’t win with Paul George or Beal. And now, he couldn’t find a win to win a title with James and Davis. The media is just waiting to explode with this story. It doesn’t matter what he averages. Russell Westbrook is in a no-win situation with the Los Angeles Lakers unless he wins. And even then, there will still be a problem.

Westbrook needed a super team. He had to ride the coattails of LeBron, Davis, and Carmelo Anthony. It’s being said that he’s no longer the player he once was. And that right there is why the Barkley statement gets under my skin. Anytime 3 or more stars join the same team, someone has to take a back seat. But the person who is trying to level their game out is Westbrook. But in doing so, he’s taking the heat.

If he struggles and the Lakers continue to lose, he’s a bad fit. If he asserts himself more and they lose, it’s the same. Winning cures all but the woes of the Los Angeles Lakers are much deeper than the play of Russell Westbrook.