Russell Westbrook, one of the dominant Point Guards of the modern era, also known as Mr.Triple-Double has joined the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and the No.22 pick in the 1st round of the NBA Draft.
After signing Westbrook from the Wizards, Lakers VP of Basketball operations mentions "It takes a special mentality of competitiveness to take on the role of point guard for The Los Angeles Lakers’, we have seen some of the all-time greats master that role here, and now Russell Westbrook gets to come home and do just that. This is a very proud day for our franchise, and we are incredibly grateful. We welcome Russell and his family to Lakers Nation."
The NBA’s all-time leader in Triple-Double moves to a third team in 3 years in a quest for his 1st NBA Championship. Russell forced himself out of the OKC Thunder in 2017 and joined hands with James Harden in Houston Rockets. After getting knocked out in the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, he was then moved to Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall and still got knocked out in the 1st round by the Philadelphia 76’ers.
It has been such kind of Free Agency for the LA Lakers where every NBA Team dreams of. With a revamped squad with the likes of Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza coming back to the Lakers alongside Kent Bazemore, signed up two energetic young guards – Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk. Another high-profile signing for the Lakers was the 37-year-old veteran All-Star Carmelo Anthony who is also chasing his first NBA ring before Melo hangs up from the NBA.
It's for the First time since the 2016-17 season, Russell Westbrook again finds himself in a situation where he can finally win his much-deserved win. He, alongside Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, teamed up in the OKC Thunder where they were knocked off by the Utah Jazz in the 1st Round of the Playoffs is considered to be one of the disappointing Playoff runs in the History of the NBA.
How will Westbrook Fit in the Rotation?
One of the major flaws in the LA Lakers line-up the last season was a dominant Point Guard. Dennis Shroeder was a disappointment in the Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns where it was evident the Lakers would not win another championship with a Point Guard who is not reliable on the court.
Lebron had to do the Point Guard reign to create floor spacing and feed the ball to Anthony Davis to keep the Game alive.
In conclusion, we see, despite all of his accomplishments, Westbrook has just managed to win 1 Playoff series since Kevin Durant Left OKC and joined the Warriors. However, there is an opportunity for Russ to clear off the notion and build his legacy in his hometown.
