Los Angeles Lakers’ Best Chance At Success Is Bringing Russell Westbrook Off Bench

If the Los Angeles Lakers are to retain Russell Westbrook this season, their best chance at success is having him come off of the bench.

As it becomes clearer that the Lakers have no plans of trading Westbrook and two first-round draft picks prior to the start of the season, Los Angeles will enter its second season with the 33-year-old point guard in the fold.

Los Angeles has obviously upgraded its roster and become vastly younger after last season’s disaster. The Lakers brought back former guard Dennis Schroder — he was solid during his lone season in Los Angeles in 2020-21 — and traded for defensive pest Patrick Beverley to guard the better perimeter players in the league.

While the Lakers certainly have the look of a team that is capable of making it back to the playoffs — which would be an upgrade over last season’s 33-49 record — one way of maximizing their potential is by simply having Westbrook come off of the bench.

The idea of starting Schroder and Beverley in the backcourt alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis should put the Lakers in contention with the second tier of squads in the Western Conference. James remains a top five player in the league, while Davis is a top 15 player when healthy. Combined with Schroder’s ability to distribute and score and Beverley’s defensive abilities, the Lakers actually have a competent starting five.

The Lakers went 38-23 (.622) with Schroder in the lineup when they clinched the seventh seed in the Western Conference two seasons ago. When stretched over an 82-game season, that winning percentage would have been good for the fifth seed in the West.

We’re all aware of how inefficient Westbrook was during his debut season with the Lakers. While Los Angeles may went to argue that Westbrook’s lack of games with James and Davis was the culprit for Los Angeles’ disastrous season, the advanced analytics not only show Westbrook was simply a detriment to the team’s success, it shows the Lakers just weren’t good with their big trio.

The Lakers were just 11-10 with their “Big Three” together. During their 21-game sample size, the trio posted a 107.1 offensive rating and a 110.6 defensive rating, for a net rating of -3.5 (22nd in the NBA). The offense as a whole — which ranked 23rd in the NBA — was somehow better than the one featuring Westbrook, James and Davis, posting a 110.3 offensive rating and a 113.3 defensive rating, for a net rating of -3.0 — that would have been good for 24th in the league.

As noted by Cleaning the Glass, Westbrook’s -2.5 points per possession ranked him in the 37th percentile of the league. By comparison, James posted +4.1 points per possession, ranking in the 81st percentile.

While all of the evidence may point towards the idea of Westbrook stepping in as a sixth man as the best course for success, it doesn’t look like the Lakers will lean in that direction. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne says the franchise still views him as a starter.

“From what I understand now, they still see Russell Westbrook as a starter,” Shelburne said. “He’s a former MVP. He’s given that respect. Everyone’s gonna compete for jobs. … Russell Westbrook is the starter there.”

New head coach Darvin Ham laughed off the notion of Westbrook coming off of the bench during his introductory press conference back in June.

Via Bill Oram of The Athletic:

“It’s possible Westbrook will jive better with the new coach than he did with Vogel – it wouldn’t be hard – and that he’ll be more receptive to his style on the sideline,” says Oram. “But when Ham was asked whether he had discussed a potential role change with Westbrook, including the possibility of him coming off the bench, Westbrook, who had been expressionless through most of the proceedings, couldn’t keep himself from frowning, then laughing.”

With the Utah Jazz trading Bojan Bogdanovic to the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers’ trade options are dwindling. The fact that the Lakers remain committed to not attaching two first-round picks to any Westbrook trade means Los Angeles will have to enter another season soothing his ego, while at the same time trying to cover up his clear deficiencies on the court.

If Westbrook comes off the bench, he doesn’t have to play the awkward third wheel role that he played last season — his usage rate was at 27.3 percent, his lowest since the 2009-10 season. He can play aggressive, he can distribute the ball to shooters such as Austin Reaves and he might actually produce a positive rating when he possesses the ball.

“I’m going to expect him to be the same tenacious, high-energy player that he’s been all his entire career,” Ham said. “A lot of it now may happen without the ball in his hand. Most of it may happen it on the defensive end.”

In order for Westbrook to be that same “tenacious, high-energy player,” the Lakers have to allow him to have the ball in his hands. That simply won’t happen while playing in the same lineup as James and/or Schroder.

The Lakers will not bring Westbrook off of the bench, because that won’t help soothe this failing marriage between both sides. However, it is the best course of action if the Lakers want to maximize their chances at success this season.