@@wrought-ironheroEMIYA yeah nah of course but I mean come on , I’m not looking for his retarded turn overs,a lot of them have been coming from passes that were supposed to be caught but weren’t ..the retarded ones tho 😬but also that first 12 games really fucked him up that’s why he averaging Hellas right now still
Westbrook never changes, he cannot adapt and cannot contribute to winning. Seeing Westbrook flex after making buckets in the highlights for this video while his and the Lakers season is going horrible really is cringeworthy. The dude is 33 years old and has not matured one bit as a basketball player, your filled stat sheets literally hurt your team. I feel personally offended when Lebron is balling out at his age, changing his game since two decades to remain at the top, meanwhile Westbrooks game has not changed since college and he has no aspirations to do so.
Nigga stfu , this Nigga went to the conference finals 4 times and to the finals once, how can you say he doesn't contribute. Man helped get okc and the wizards to the playoffs.
I’ve been saying it for weeks now, this is similar to the 2013 Lakers. Bad chemistry and injuries and one player is trying to put the team on their shoulders but he’s old. This is what we get for blowing up our rosters after winning.
I really hope this season doesn't turn out for LeBron like Kobe's 2013 season where bro was trying his best and pushing his old body to try and get them to the playoffs only to end up suffering a major injury. So many similarities from that 2013 team to this team from the injuries to the bad chemistry.
@@therealjaystone2344 This team got way more talent then Kobe lakers lol Kobe would’ve been willing these dudes to play defense and would’ve played it himself
@@Ninjersey1 are you sure? That 2013 squad had a prime recently DPOY and finals appearance Dwight Howard it had late prime Kobe, late prime Pau Gasol, old smart Nash. 2022 lakers have old lebron, late prime Westbrook, prime injured AD, and old Melo and Dwight? They are pretty comparable, or maybe the 2013 team is better with a younger big 3
I understand the idea to bench Westbrook but I don’t think they ever will for 2 reasons. #1 they were considering looking into trading Westbrook, and benching him will destroy any trade value that he has left, and #2 the problems that the lakers have with him won’t go away with him on the bench bc they don’t have a big who stretches the floor, and whoever replaces him in the starting lineup will be worse defensively
I don’t think anyone really wants Westbrook his not going get you a chip and he cost way too much and even if someone does your not getting anything good for him. lakers are stuck with him
IMO Anthony Davis has been really under performing during the season. Not only that but they gave up their bench for a better starting line up so when the starting line up failed there was no bench to fall back to.
23 and 10 on a +23 PER is underperforming?? Nah, AD is fine and is their defensive anchor and without him, theyre terrible. Russell westbrook is 100% the problem, and the fact Lebron is aging and can no longer carry a team like he used to. Its what happens when you trade away 3 key depth pieces for a inefficient turnover machine with an insanely high usage rate. The lakers front office deserves all the blame here, and lets be honest, Lebron does as well, because you know he green lit this move. I dont get the AD hate. Bronsexuals always gotta point the finger to someone else.
@@AE_2023 Under performs on offense mainly. His jump shot has NOT been falling and thats what sets AD apart from other bigs is the fact that his middy is so good, not this year though sadly
@@AE_2023 I ain't even a lakers fan but I can tell u don't watch games and just use stats u see on the internet to make your arguments , fam he has been bodied by every elite big or opposition's best player in the league this year and while his stats on paper look ok they are down from last year and for a guy who is in his prime years in terms of athleticism and who was legit being touted as the future of the franchise even by bron himself declining in stats isn't good enough , he has all the talent in the world to be giannis' level but he has zero winning intangibles, he will forever be a number 1 talent with a number 2 attitude , that nigga is way too soft and it's seen in his refusal to play centre , he should be developing into a perennial mvp candidate at this age based on his potential yet he plays like someone who's barely an allstar that's the problem
The Russ trade may go down as one of the worst in history if the Lakers can't turn this around. They could of had a lineup of LeBron, Hield, KCP, AD and any center but now they have 3 non-shooters at all times. This is one of those trades that whenever you saw it you were just confused and knew it wouldn't be able to work.
No one knows how good they would of been with Buddy Hield the man ain’t nothing with the kings since he been there Westbrook has never missed a playoffs no matter how bad a season starts so just Chill
@@gabriellemack7265 they would have been better. Even if Hield was disappointing for them he still would have opened the game up for Bron and AD by being an outside threat. Also they get back KCP which gives them shooting and defense they desperately need.
@@beanteam2217 they could’ve tried to but it doesn’t matter if Pop is unwilling to do business with the Lakers NO MATTER WHAT Pop could’ve had BI/Zo/Kuz/Hart/Zu/2018 1st rounder for Kawhi but refused b/c it was the Lakers This casual assumption that the Lakers easily could’ve landed DeRozan in a trade is so funny to me
Even if westbrook was doing a bit better, the lakers would still struggle. Imo a lot of their roster is filled with non-valuable assets and will be difficult to trade because of it. The 2020 lakers had great perimeter and interior defense which is pretty much non-existant to date.
Honestly I think Westbrook is just really hard to play with, he really struggled at times last year pairing with Beal. He actually fits alongside Lebron in my opinion but when AD is on the floor with the two it’s real weird to watch
Haha for real and this is just proof that he truly can’t fit alongside any other superstar. Russ is like the best player on the team the Harlem Globetrotters beat every time. Empty numbers…negative numbers actually when you think about it
Bradeley beal had his highest pts per game ever playing with russ just like every other superstar except harden and he had his second highest……. The wizards role players were just trash and beal was injured the first half the season
Except, instead of an inexperienced team full of rookies, this one has - on paper - highly accomplished veterans. If anything, that makes it a lot worse.
I’m glad someone said it. The Lakers are best when Lebron plays the point, or he has a point guard that can play off ball like Nunn. Westbrook trade was a problem not cause he’s bad, cause he’s great, but it’s cause it diminishes the maximum potential of LJ-AD duo. What’s done is done but their rotation when healthy should be: Nunn/Russ Monk/Ellington James/Reeves Ariza/Melo Davis/Howard anything aside from that is idiotic. Both units have at least 3 shooters.
At this point, I'm just enjoying how this seems to happen to the Lakers once every decade (2004, 2013, 2022). I just assume its the universe trying to balance out the fact that they are always the #1 destination for superstars.
Lakers fans act like they win yearly....they have less titles than the spurs warriors and as many as miami since 2003...calm down lakers fans..you guys have 6 rings since the 1989 finals....that's not that amazing considering all the stars they had and got in that time...33 finals about to be 34 and only 6 titles in that time span... bulls still have as many and spurs 1 less so
that 04 team would have won it all if kobe didnt have the rape case going on. this team is not comparable to 04.. theyre more like 20133. lebron carrying this team like kobe did just before he blew out his achilles. i hope the same doesnt happen to lebron
Lakers 's management makes me question how the NBA works at a managerial level. The advance statistics would've told you their offseason moves were a bad idea. Likewise, adding so old players just doesn't work in today's NBA. I think any high schooler with a 2K game could've done a better job.
It's not just about adding old players, its the skill set that those particular players bring. E.g. Their 2020 championship team was already on the older side, but the skills of their personnel complemented each other well (things like Caruso's smart plays and active defense on guards and Dwight still being a solid defender against slower bigs like Jokic, while Rondo's passing gave freedom for AD and LeBron to play off-ball quite often, dragging the defense out of position with the threat of their offence).
@@deifiedtitan for low price why not? As a lakers fan Im okay trading him even if we can't get the same level of package we gave up for him. A role player that fits would be okay, idc about picks nor other stars.. Just role players that does the dirty work .
No, I want AD gone more...not leaving up expectation, we all know what we are going to get with Westbrook, but AD supposed to be among the best player in the league!!!
I love Westbrook and the more he's playing with everyone else the more locked in he's getting. Anthony Davis is who has been disappointing plus our role players fucking disappearing half the time
As a Lakers fan, I was pessimistic about this team before the year began and I am being justified in this feeling. The Lakers are the oldest team in the league but they play fast because that seems to be what they think is the best way to use Russ. This team is too old to play so fast. I think they are gassed early which leads to the jumpers that are short and and defense that is lackluster.
I was against this trade from the start. Ik what lebron was thinking but he should’ve chosen another person to walk the team in case he gets hurt. If I’m being honest Lowry or Fred vanvleet would’ve been better for this team the Russ.
AD has been some hot ass, Russ is Russ, Bron 1v5’s when he’s playing, only like 3 players are all invested, the list goes on and on. I love the team, but for fuck’s sake lol.
how has AD been ass? Please use facts/stats to back up these claims, because he hasnt been "hot ass" at all if you look at his production. Team just isnt built well and anyone who knows basketball knew this before the season started. Its hilarious.
@@AE_2023 I don’t know what gave you the impression that I wanted to hear your opinion, child- don’t talk to me. You clearly only look at the box score, stfu and go to bed.
@@JuanTonSoupXP you have no idea what youre talking about lmao. im a data scientist, educated in statistical analysis. youre a salty, toxic laker fan. take the L.
@@AE_2023 Nice, claiming to be something you aren't, fucking data scientist my ass. If you actually watch the games, then you will understand that AD's percentages from mid-range and three point have completely plummeted from his production in 2020. Also, we need to look at his defence. In 2020, he was absolutely everywhere, bothering every shot in the paint, and grabbing defensive rebounds with CONVICTION. In other words, for your slow mind, he was second in defensive player of the year which speaks for itself and constantly bothered the offense and defence with his hustle on the boards. Now, if you would actually put two and two together, you'd understand that the reason your opinion is a total outlier and nobody else believes what you're saying, IS BECAUSE YOU'RE WRONG. But, from what I've seen from your attitude you'll just try to ignore everything I said with your data scientist bullshit LMAO
@@kartmartsupport3712 i mean, its the truth lmao. sorry to make you feel inadequate. your life will improve with hard work and you wont be forced to live vicariously through the los angeles lakers :)
Before watching. It should be 1. Loss of Danny Green, Schroder, KCP, Caruso, Wes Matthews over the last two season, losing good guard defenders to stop the point of attack. 2. As much as people hate, Kuzma was a passable wing defender. While his lows were very low on offense, he was always serviceable on defense, which is the opposite of being a defensive liability like the wings they have now. Adding to this, they also loss Morris who was serviceable on defense as well and could play both 4 & 5. 3. Moving away from the formula that should be obvious with a team with Anthony Davis and Lebron James, that being just having 3&D players around them. While they started a lob threat big at center, their game closing line up was always those two, along with three 3&D shooters. They won their championship with Lebron at PG, where he was competing with Giannis for MVP. Lebron has not declined much in the last two years, it’s just that the way he’s been used and the players around him don’t compliment his play style anymore. Adding Russell Westbrook, a player that you got to play at least 32 minutes a game that completely clashes with his style of play will make the offense horrible when it use to be one of the most efficient. As I’m typing this, the Lakers are playing vs the Rockets starting Lebron at center. Ridiculous. Which leads to my next point. 4. Lack of coaching staff. Vogel isn’t the sole reason why the Lakers suck, but his flaws as a head coach are showing now that Kidd and Hollins are gone. His rotations suck and you can tell that he can’t bring that locker room together. Losing the glue guy that Dudley was doesn’t help the cause either. Finally, 5. They just don’t play with any effort. Defense is 80% effort and it’s very telling when a team lacks effort when the only ones playing good defense is a 10 day contract Stanley Johnson, and a undrafted rookie Austin Reeves. This team, outside of Lebron, plays like the league owes them something or like they shouldn’t have to try to win cause their talent will win for them. It shows through their interviews and on the court.
The only way for the lakers to make a huge comeback is trade westbrook, and even then, it won't be a 1:1 exchange. It's sad cause I really wanted Westbrook to win a championship, but he's a type of player who simply can't win in this modern age of the NBA. He can't shoot, can't play defense, and has one of the worst basketball IQ I've seen in any player. I think the Lakers should simply disband cause LeBron right now is still playing his absolute best, and I might even consider trading him.
@@vonnconsul4074 The only admirable quality of westbrook is his self-esteem and confidence, although right now, it's going borderline delusional hahaha.
I thought you wouldn't mention the point of attack defense. Their perimeter defense is Swiss cheese. It's tough acknowledging the offense can be fixed, but not so with the defense. A chip is not possible without playing acceptable defense.
LeBron is old - for an NBA player, let alone a _starter_ - and is still the team's best scorer (2nd best when AD is healthy), arguably the best passer and one of their best rebounders. 🤷♂️ At his age, he simply doesn't have the energy to guard like a cut-price Dreymond anymore (don't get it twisted, Dreymond's an incredible defender and definitely better on defense than LeBron) when he also has to lead the offense.
It’s fun to root against the Lakers, and when they signed Westbrook, I was very happy knowing their championship contending days with LeBron were already over
You can’t win with Westbrook I thought this was established in 2016? It’s whatever tho. Only way Lakers can win a title is if we see 2021 level injuries and Bron/AD ball out
What’s sucks to me is people are giving lebron another pass he said that we should keep it consistent the same people calling his teammates old and washed should say that when they win. I and many others are. When he left the cavs it was because he had no talent around him but the problem is he built that team he had average players getting paid great money that’s your team. You could say maybe he has to say that this team will win (you can’t say yea my teams ass) but I don’t agree. I don’t want people to blame lebron but hold him accountable this team isn’t winning and he had a decision in his teammates to an extent. I’m not saying they have to win the finals but this team is horrible.
@@Xid. I mean, when has Lebron fans ever praised his teammates? His teammates only get the flame and blame if they lose, and get the "Lebron carried you bums" if they win, not many players are going to be able to perform under such pressure from his toxic asf fans?
@@leejameson8419 are u serious? they play in the nba.. they have the spotlight on them all the time, if u fold under pressure then u deserve the hate coming ur way. i agree that bron fans are toxic and most of the time stupid af but to say that these players cant perform under pressure is just wrong
@@Xid. this is true but i rly think ppl over exaggerate the amount of say that bron has in trades and team decisions. he wanted russ but if rob thought that buddy hield was a better fit than just sign on it, i dont get it like whats bron gonna do? leave the team? sure hes gonna be mad but he ll eventually realise that hield was a better fit for the long run. brons not stupid after all
@@hetp490 Even Russ himself said his "fans" are expecting too much from him, he is feeling the pressure. Even Ja stayed off social media and shit to avoid it. They are all humans too wtf you talking?
There shouldn't be any stats involved when either supporting or criticizing Russell Westbrook. Just watch the game, if you come out of it thinking he had a positive impact for his team just take the L and practice being smarter.
Love the videos. Hope the next one comes soon. I'd like to see a video on the Grizzlies or Bulls (idc if it's a specific player or the team as a whole)
its actually not as bad as you think. his shot attempts are at an all time low by far at the rim. he coasts on defense and this year does a lot of coasting on offense by just shooting 3s. its why his stats are up but the impact isnt the same on team winning. hes going for kareem mostly at this point
I don't see WB getting traded like others are saying cause his contract is horrendous but they need to cut those 3 (DJ,Baze,Rondo) asap and sign better players. But I hope that the Lakers get tempered enough by their tough schedule next year for a better playoff run.
Russ is not the main problem. Everyone not named LeBron James is playing with either reckless abandon or a glaring lack of effort and focus, merely pointing out the fact that Russell Westbrook is not a winning player is a gross oversimplification of the issues.
You don’t need to bench him as that could risk bruising his ego and team chemistry. Just make him a starter by name only and have him stay in with the bench while LeBron and AD rest. Kinda like the opposite of having a really good 6th man who basically plays starter minutes.
In other they need to get their rotations right which is coaching. Also I believe Russ's turnovers will decrease with the right lineup around him because he will be attacking more than passing. IMO
11:05 I made this suggestion on the official Lakers fan page before the season started. Unsurprisingly, I got so much backlash that the admins of the page removed my post and banned me for 1 month.
This is great analysis! Offensively, the Lakers could be a lot better, but they have been in enough close games this season that could’ve gone either way to make me think that the horrific defensive play is really the larger problem down the stretch. I would like ti hear your thoughts on what they could be doing better defensively as well.
Ariza had played two games so far this year. I have to say I agree Westbrook needs less minutes. He should play the first 3 mins in the fourth and no more. He’s too much of a liability. They play better when he isn’t on the floor unfortunately.
It’s not Westbrook , it’s the fact that Anthony Davis was supposed to be the dominant one to take over the reins from Bron . That didn’t happen and that’s the main reason why the Lakers are really bad. Davis’s energy and body language is nowhere near what the Lakers were anticipating.
Before I watched the video I had reached the same conclusion about Russel Westbrook. He is a top 10 offensive player when he’s main ball handler but he’s maybe top 50 overall when he’s not the primary ball handler because he has no jump shot and not a great off the ball mover like a Curry. Westbrook needs to be on the floor all 11 min per game Lebron isn’t playing and all the time when either lebron or Davis are not both on the floor. You can’t have Westbrook on the floor at the same as lebron and Davis because the 3 together don’t jive. If they don’t bench him like Celtics did to Kevin McHale (a top star benched to maximize the talent on the team) then they need to trade him for some floor spacers.
The real problem with the Lakers is that they are all ill-fitting pieces and the organization chose name over fit. They would have already had Bagley and/or Hield *AND* DeRozen. However, Bron visited Russ and then the Lakers did their thing. On paper they have the best team in the league, but here are the reasons why they were doomed to fail by the contributing reasons; 1.) Anthony Davis. People are just now finding out what Pelicans fans already knew about AD 5 years ago. He's unreliable (injury prone) and can't lead a team when it ultimately falls on him to. That's why he was so eager to be Bron's #2 as he no longer has to make 50 point heroic feats and be the main focus of the team. His play suffers when he comes off injuries. 2.) Name over fit. The reason that the 2020 squad was broken up was to have enough cap space to pursue big names that were coming up in free agency. Rather than re-tool and get pieces that would make them formidable, they burned out their resources and let potential pieces walk or get traded. They had a second chance and let that slip by and missed out on DeRozen and the combination of Hield or Bagley. 3.) Redundancy. You got a point guard in Russ and the main ballhandler is LeBron. And now people want to trade Russ for Dame while LeBron is still the main ballhandler? LeBron is clearly not interested in taking the backseat with ballhandling duties so why even pursue another PG? There are also other players who are basically the same and no diversity in playstyles and positions. This is just dumping pieces for the same piece in return. On paper this team is good with brute force talent, but there is no one willing to adjust their game and a gross mismanagement of resources as why this team isn't doing well. I'm not a Lakers fan, but I believe that this can be turned around.
I love how LoW does his homework. Comes with real numbers and tells the story that explains the situation, meaning he sees the numbers then tells the story. Rather than other people who try and explain whatever narrative and then find numbers to explain their point.
For a team that’s down bad they sure flex a lot when they make regular to mediocre shots it’s like they spend more time celebrating than hurrying back up to play defence
I remember KD choking against the Grizzlies when Russ went down😂. After he left OKC he’s been on super teams. I hate people bringing up Russ not getting far without KD when he’s been a huge reason his teams have made the playoffs. Take him off those OKC teams post KD they don’t make it. Hell he was a huge factor the Wizards made it last year.
@@fullmetal1766 that Magic team wasn’t trash tho, they had 3pt specialists who could play defense and A dominant inside defense anchored by the DPOY and finished 1st in their division
#1 Lebron not asserting himself as the leader of the team and letting all that bullshit happen #2 AD is too injury prone to play the 5 #3 Westbrick #4 No defense in a season where defense has gone up #5 Too old.
I am gald you brought up the easy schedule point. Not too many people are talking about this. EVEN with a easy schedule Lakers are struggling. Shows you having the "best of parts" isn't always a good thing.
They should run the lineup as (1.A) Lebron/AD and (1.B) Melo, Westbrook. Then sprinkle the most consistent outside shooters around them. Platooning would allow them to avoid bad spacing and primary ball handler confusion.
Durant didn't like him. Since he was on OKC I was telling everyone "no team can win a championship with this guy." RW is the primary reason KD left OKC. Teams get rid of him for a reason. Westbrook still hasn't figured out anything. NBA props him up as if he's some Dwayne Wade.
What I am trying to figure out is if this is a failure of management who picked bad pieces that don't fit; or if it its coaching who can't put a 5 piece jigsaw puzzle together.
The problem with Russell is that he's ineffective without the ball most of the time. He's not a threat as a shooter in any capacity outside of driving. AND with the ball that doesn't change. He needs to get to the hole or it's a bust.
Since his rookie season lol. It's mind boggling how his shooting game never evolved, not even to elite levels, even just league averages. A lot of it comes from poor shot choices and horrifying shot mechanics.
@@badxgrass "Horrifying shot mechanics" . . . You'd think after all these years, someone would take mercy and explain to him that shooting a jump shot after you peak is fighting both physics and gravity. It could be anyone: a coach, a fellow team-mate, a janitor sweeping up after the game . . . even his tailor whispering in his ear as Russ rapturously contemplates his glittering reflection in a three-way mirror.
I remember watching a video right here on YT about how Westbrook won't ever win a championship, legitimately may be the best prediction in a video ever...
They need to trade Westbrook for some of their depth back or potentially trade for Ben Simmons and some other players. Ben plays better defense, better decision maker and can limit turnovers. Plus if the Lakers play small, he’s the perfect small ball center..
@@Vs-hg6xi Ben is too mentally weak to take the pressure. He has never improved on evolving his game. He thinks he's at his pinnacle and can't stand real criticism from people who want him to take the next step. As great as he is on the D end, he is the polar opposite on the other side. He wants out and here in Philly, we want to accommodate this guy and get him out. Come 10 years from now we will be talking about a guy who had it all and threw it all away because he got into his FEELINGS too much.
KD once said" I cant win with those guys" lol meaning Westbrook and people got mad because he had enough sense to recognize that lol now they want lebron to trade him and mad because he's on the lakers lol who's the cup cake now lol
I may be wrong on this but isn't the reason why westbrook is even a laker instead of buddy heild is because if lebron or AD are injured or resting for a game is that westbrook can at least win a here or there while they are out. Btw I do agree with the idea of westbrook coming bench.
Plus the reality now is LJ won’t kill you anymore playing him single man. And I would bet everyone that the biggest problem isn’t schemas or playbook or coaching even but locker room cohesion. I can’t even imagine what it feel to sit in one of their film sessions. A losing streak moment of storm that would happen to other teams maybe once or twice throughout must be the normal day in theirs.
i agree westbrook off the bench while Lebron or AD rests would be better they also should make some trades and get better spacing or maybe even trade westbrook or davis for shooters
