Russell Westbrook has become one of the hottest topics halfway through the Los Angeles Lakers‘ disappointing season.
The Lakers are 23-23 through 46 games, far from where the team hoped to be after entering the season with title aspirations.
Acquiring Russell Westbrook was supposed to move the needle for L.A., but, so far, it seems the needle has moved backward. Westbrook, the $44 million man for L.A., was benched for the final 3:52 of the fourth quarter in a close game against the Indiana Pacers recently.
It was a move that had been on the horizon for a while, and Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of Westbrook, said on an episode of ESPN’s “First Take” the former MVP should permanently come off the bench:
“I think Russ has reached a point in his career where he just don’t have it no more. I think Russ coming off the bench; it’s not a bad thing. A lot of people out there in the world think, ‘Oh, if you’re not a starter, then you’re not at a certain level.’ No, it’s not about who starts the game; it’s about who finishes the game.
And I think it would be great because now he could come in, move LeBron James back to the starting point guard position, have Russ come in and now he could be Russell Westbrook. He can be aggressive where he’s not standing in the corner. … You have to find a way to put him in a position to be successful and that’s not hanging around the 3-point line, that’s not shooting those 15-footers, that’s getting downhill, dribble handoff action and things to that nature. As of today, right now, it’s time for Russell Westbrook to come off the bench.”
Russell Westbrook’s former teammate @KendrickPerkins says it’s time for a change in LA 👀
“It’s time for Russell Westbrook to come off the bench.” pic.twitter.com/3Ll7uYXMit
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 21, 2022
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