Serious Responses Only: Coaching the Lakers to a Championship With Russell Westbrook in 2022/2023

[Roscoe Sheed]

It obviously didn't work out well in the first season and likely won't next season unless they miraculously find a bunch of over 40% three and D players, AD and LeBron stay healthy, and Westbrook accepts a diminished role.

However, all of these people on this thread saying everybody knew it would fail are incorrect- many people predicted that Westbrook would play the Wade role and find his fit when they first got him- some even predicted that they would win the title or at least get to the finals.

[dk1115]

Cant

[Lalouie]

in all seriousness, the lakers are DONE

take away all the ruminations and excuses about fixing this and that, or any what if's.....
lebron is old and before anyone points out his numbers, he's always 6'8/255 so he'll always get his numbers. but he's slower and gets blocked and his number don't have impact. they didn't have impact this season, last season, or '19. davis not only continues to get injured and he's older as well. this is westbrook's 13/14th season. it's bleak.

the youth movement in the nba is pulling all the young talent away from the big cities. they're spread all over the usa. lebron has no pull. maybe a lot of old farts will want to play with lebron. he had it coming off a couple of rings but it no longer makes sense for a young talent to play robin anymore when you have guys like trae, luka, zion, ja, and lamelo all making a name for themselves ON THEIR OWN. part of parity is thinking you can do it on your own. they don't want seasoning or playing behind anyone.

[BNM]

So far I think this is the best answer. Current Westbrook does not help Lakers win...but if he can evolve into a good 3PT shooter and defender, there's a chance. He needs to re-invent himself...it's possible, think of a player like Brooke Lopez who learned how to shoot late in his career; Westbrook needs to pull a Brooke Lopez over the summer.

A couple key differences: Brook Lopez has always been a better shooter than Russell Westbrook. Your statement "Brooke Lopez who learned how to shoot late in his career" is inaccurate. His career TS% was always above league average even before he added the 3-point shot to his game. He didn't become a good 3-point shooter by fixing a broken jump shot, he did it by extending the range of an already solid jump shot and he did it at the age of 28. Russ will be 34 less than a month into next season.

All very good points, well said.

I'm assuming there has to be some "glass half full" scenario here...somewhere? He can't be a complete lost cause, can he?

Can, and is. Go back and look at my other post. 5 straight years of significantly below league average FT% and 3FG% (he's actually been below average on 3FG% every single season of his career - usually WAY below).

This from a high usage, ball dominant player who turns the ball over at an alarming rate, doesn't play defense and ties up $47 million in cap space. If that's not a lost cause, I don't know what is.