Shaquille O’Neal Drops Bold Russell Westbrook Prediction

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t go too wild in the offseason and they aren’t expected to make any major moves in the next period. Current and former NBA players shared their predictions for the team entering the new season. Former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal talked about Darvin Ham’s roster and the role Russell Westbrook will get this time.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka traded for Patrick Beverley and this addition shocked the entire NBA. Beverley’s beef with Westbrook made people say that they’d never work well together. Well, Shaq has something else to say.

“Pat Bev is gonna help Russ get back close to the level that he was at ’cause he’s gonna hold him accountable,” Shaq said. “When you shoot off the side of the backboard, someone needs to get you, ‘Look, hey man, what you are you doing?… I know Patrick Beverley is going to be a little bit more of a voice because LeBron is sort of like me. He will say something every now and then. Pat Beverley is going to say something all the time.”

Shaquille O’Neal wants Russell Westbrook to win despite his bad debut with the team

The Lakes traded a big chunk of the roster to get Westbrook. It was a bad experiment and Westbrook had a really bad debut with the team. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. Yes, these numbers are great, but Westbrook couldn’t help the Lakers make the playoffs. Moreover, he finished second in turnovers and Lakers fans got really frustrated.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had a great plan for the one-time MVP. This was one of the questions candidates got in their interviews with the front office. Ham had great words for Westbrook and saw his dominance during practice. The Lakers head coach planned to throw a competition for the starting lineup, but it seems like Russ got his job.

Ramona Shelburne from ESPN reported that Westbrook will probably start games with the Lakers next season. Surprised much? No? Let’s see what happens in the upcoming season. Will Russ have a good season?