Lakers Internal Expectations for Russell Westbrook Revealed

The Los Angeles Lakers had high expectations from Russell Westbrook last season. They traded a bunch of players to get Russ. Did it work? No. Lakers fans started calling him “Westbrick”. It was that bad.

Westbrook started 78 games with the team last season, averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists. He shot 44.4% from the floor, 29.8% from beyond the arc, and 66.7% from the free-throw line.

Chris Haynes from Yahoo Sports reported that the Lakes want Westbrook to elevate his 3-point shooting from the corners in the upcoming season. In 2021-22, the veteran shot 29.8% from beyond the arc and hit 43.8% of his threes from the corner.

“The team is also hopeful for a corner-3 shooting percentage bump from Russell Westbrook next season, sources said,” Haynes reported.

Lakers have expectations from Russell Westbrook in the upcoming season

Andy Bailey from Bleacher Report advised Russ to take a “rim-running role” with the franchise.

“The situations are far from perfectly analogous, but Bruce Brown spent the first two seasons of his career with the Detroit Pistons as a guard before embracing a rim-running role with the Brooklyn Nets. Westbrook can be a supercharged version of that (assuming a willingness to work on his touch in the paint). He did it to a degree with Houston, but he still started plenty of possessions as the point man,” Bailey wrote. “It’s time to lean even harder into being a cutter, dunker’s spot option and corner three-point shooter.”

Westbrook had a lot of problems last season and sources discussed the alleged tension between him and LeBron James. These two attended the Lakers Summer League opener, but didn’t talk. This event added fuel to the fire. However, Haynes reported that Westbrook actually talked to LeBron and Anthony Davis on the phone. They seem to have a plan for the upcoming season.

“The Los Angeles Lakers’ Big 3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook huddled up on a phone conversation the first weekend of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with each expressing their commitment to one another and vowing to make it work, league sources told Yahoo Sports,” Haynes reported. “While the uncertainty of Westbrook’s future with the Lakers remains, the conversation was organized to make sure all three were on the same page as long as they’re joined together in their pursuit of a championship, sources said.”

The Lakers have entered an important offseason and the front office has to make some changes and make things work.