1. Russell Westbrook – Los Angeles Lakers
Are you not just tired of the way Russell Westbrook plays? Are you not tired of him producing inadequate results and then arrogantly shrugging it off like there’s some agenda against him from the media?
I know I am.
Westbrook is the biggest reason why the Lakers are a mediocre team. They play too fast for a team that has the highest average age in the NBA. Right now the Lakers are first in the league in team pace at 100.9 possessions per game. This has led them to them scoring the 4th most points per game (112.1), but they also allow 112.8 points per game which rank them 26th. Westbrook is the one who is always out of control, dribbling too much, driving to the rim when it is ill-advised, and turning the ball over.
The Lakers won their title in 2020 thanks to their great defense, which was the 4th best in the league. They also only had the 11th highest pace (100.9) during that season, because LeBron and Rondo were their main ball-handlers, and they knew when to push and when to take it slow.
Westbrook is also aging, and at a much faster rate than LeBron James. LeBron has slowed down because he has accepted that he needs to conserve his energy and be more tactful about when he attacks. Westbrook is behaving as if he is still 25 years old and nothing can stop him. Westbrook isn’t 25, he’s 33 and he can’t do the same thing he was doing six years ago.
Westbrook isn’t going to change, that’s not who he is. The Lakers need to accept that, let Westbrook go average a triple-double somewhere else, and get some decent pieces in return so they can salvage this season and maybe give LeBron and Anthony Davis another chance for a title.