The Los Angeles Lakers will have a new star trio on the court, but there are prevalent concerns about how the three will fit together.
Russell Westbrook arrived via trade from the Washington Wizards to form a partnership with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Statistically speaking, James and Davis tend to thrive with reliable shooters spacing the floor around them.
However, Westbrook’s career 3-point percentage of 30.5% on 3.7 attempts doesn’t quite check that box. Despite that, he’s been a triple-double machine in essentially the last four seasons, which will help relieve the offensive burden off the shoulders of James and Davis.
Until the trio steps onto the court, those concerns will linger. But in terms of how Westbrook will mesh with the team, James explained during the Lakers’ media day session how he wants the star guard to be himself.
“We need Russ to be Russ,” James said. “We don’t need Russ to change for anybody, that’s why we got him.”
James continued about how he, Davis and the coaching staff will need to help Westbrook acclimate.
“It’s our job to all help him feel comfortable in our system,” James said. “And he’s going to be as dynamic as he’s always been, so I look forward to that.”
Westbrook is coming off a season where he averaged 22.2 points, 11.7 assists and 11.5 rebounds. He likely won’t post as many triple-doubles this season since he’s sharing the workload with two other prominent stars, but his impact should be notable.
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