When Russell Westbrook was traded in early February for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley, the first thought among fans of the Los Angeles Lakers was relief that Westbrook had been sent packing.
But very quickly, it became clear the Lakers had received outstanding value for the former league MVP.
In particular, Russell has played very well in his time in L.A. In 12 contests with the team, he’s averaging 18.5 points and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 47.9% overall and 40 percent from 3-point range. Even better, he’s committing just 2.3 turnovers a contest.
On Wednesday, he returned from a two-game absence, and he supplied the Purple and Gold with some of what was lacking in the team’s 118-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
In Wednesday’s rematch, Russell had 17 points on 7-of-12 overall shooting and 2-of-4 from downtown as the Lakers retaliated with a 121-110 victory.
He may not be a bona fide All-Star, but some advanced stats show he has had a major impact.