Westbrook was just fine on defense in Washington. I looked at his game logs. He just needs to keep his man off the foul line — He can do that by funneling into Anthony and Dwight.
Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 4389 Location: Lake Nacimiento
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:06 pm Post subject:
JUST-MING wrote:
Westbrook was just fine on defense in Washington. I looked at his game logs. He just needs to keep his man off the foul line — He can do that by funneling into Anthony and Dwight.
Absolutely, I do not expect him to become elite but it's not like he was a horrible defender especially when he had much less offensive responsibilities in his early days in OKC. I recall him being a defensive beast at UCLA and even showed a lot of that in OKC as well.
Like most Superstars that shoulder a big offensive load his defensive output became less and less the more he took on offensively. Now he's going to a situation with us where we don't need or even want him to shoulder a massive load while Bron and AD are in the lineup with him which hopefully causes him to fully buy in with Vogel and spend more energy on the defensive end as well. I think he will surprised a lottttt of people in the upcoming season.
This is obviously still a huge question mark i'm curious to watch as the season progresses but i'm betting on him in this aspect at least.
It could be looking at things through rose colored glasses, but I think it’s possible that LA gets the best defensive version of Russ. Vogel is the best defensive coach he’s ever had. Davis is going to hold him accountable. LeBron is going to prevent his needing to carry the offense. LA’s likely strategy of asking their perimeter players to be aggressive and funnel penetration to the back line feeds into Russ’ strengths.
Plus, the Lakers are going to blow out a bunch of teams. So the need to bring it defensively will be focused on a limited number of games. _________________ Austin Reaves keeps his game tight, like Kobe Bryant on game night.
Besides for the hat, Kobe's look was pretty dope. I don't understand RW's summer dress. Lol.
My man looks like he's rocking a lampshade.
I think he's sporting Thom Browne - pretty pricey American designer maybe best known for suits that seem like they are two sizes too small. Kind of like haute couture preppy.
Watching this, it seems maybe RW is a smarter player than he seems to be at first glance.
You can’t average the assist totals and rebounds he does unless you have solid bball IQ.
Just like with most who make it in the league, it has become easier for him as the game slows down with game reps, etc.
His issue is can he shoot well enough to deter the defense. Fortunately for him, this is the first time he plays with 2 other physically imposing stars so it should open things up even though it’s not a practical fit.
Salaries aside, how much do we improve from DS to WB? I imagine a ton, especially with playmaking/offense
Don't forget rebounding too. We have two players that are elite rebounders at their position (Bron/Westbrook) that can take it coast to coast. I expect to see a LOT of fastbreak opportunities. Seeing GT's video on his twitter about the Lakers fastbreak attack has me salivating.
He's a huge, HUGE upgrade from Schroder. _________________ KOBE
Watching this, it seems maybe RW is a smarter player than he seems to be at first glance.
You can’t average the assist totals and rebounds he does unless you have solid bball IQ.
Just like with most who make it in the league, it has become easier for him as the game slows down with game reps, etc.
His issue is can he shoot well enough to deter the defense. Fortunately for him, this is the first time he plays with 2 other physically imposing stars so it should open things up even though it’s not a practical fit.
Yep, he's playing with the 2 best guys he's ever played with. He won't be experiencing any of this nonsense:
Salaries aside, how much do we improve from DS to WB? I imagine a ton, especially with playmaking/offense
Don't forget rebounding too. We have two players that are elite rebounders at their position (Bron/Westbrook) that can take it coast to coast. I expect to see a LOT of fastbreak opportunities. Seeing GT's video on his twitter about the Lakers fastbreak attack has me salivating.
He's a huge, HUGE upgrade from Schroder.
They should not be mentioned in the same breath. One is a triple-double machine. The other is.....doesn't even matter.
Watching this, it seems maybe RW is a smarter player than he seems to be at first glance.
You can’t average the assist totals and rebounds he does unless you have solid bball IQ.
Just like with most who make it in the league, it has become easier for him as the game slows down with game reps, etc.
His issue is can he shoot well enough to deter the defense. Fortunately for him, this is the first time he plays with 2 other physically imposing stars so it should open things up even though it’s not a practical fit.
I feel like RW has had a reputation that's closer to a chicken with her head cut off than a smart and resourceful game manager.
I've even read people on this board say in the past that RW doesn't make his teammates better. I never understood how he didn't make his teammates better when he constantly averages so many assists.
Watching this, it seems maybe RW is a smarter player than he seems to be at first glance.
You can’t average the assist totals and rebounds he does unless you have solid bball IQ.
Just like with most who make it in the league, it has become easier for him as the game slows down with game reps, etc.
His issue is can he shoot well enough to deter the defense. Fortunately for him, this is the first time he plays with 2 other physically imposing stars so it should open things up even though it’s not a practical fit.
I feel like RW has had a reputation that's closer to a chicken with her head cut off than a smart and resourceful game manager.
I've even read people on this board say in the past that RW doesn't make his teammates better. I never understood how he didn't make his teammates better when he constantly averages so many assists.
I mean, KD bolted from OKC for a reason. If you swap in Kyrie Irving for Westbrook in that 2016 WCF series again the Warriors, OKC wouldn’t have blown that 3-1 lead. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Salaries aside, how much do we improve from DS to WB? I imagine a ton, especially with playmaking/offense
Don't forget rebounding too. We have two players that are elite rebounders at their position (Bron/Westbrook) that can take it coast to coast. I expect to see a LOT of fastbreak opportunities. Seeing GT's video on his twitter about the Lakers fastbreak attack has me salivating.
He's a huge, HUGE upgrade from Schroder.
Quote:
Wizards' trajectory the past three seasons - two losing years and then a playoff appearance - can be explained most simply by three factors. One would be that John Wall was hurt the first two years, then they got Russell Westbrook. Another would be that they had historically bad defenses the first two years, then improved substantially on that end last season. T
The third would be rebounding and it's directly related to the other two reasons. They were dreadfully bad at rebounding in 2018-19 and 2019-20, then they got good at it and made the playoffs.
That brings the focus on Westbrook and his departure. Now that he's gone, will the Wizards struggle to rebound again?
Westbrook, in particular, will be missed. He averaged 11.5 rebounds per game last season, ranking fifth in the NBA. He brought in more than twice as many rebounds as the next qualified player on the Wizards' 2020-21 roster, Daniel Gafford (5.6). Repeat: more than twice as many.
Westbrook helped the Wizards improve their rebounding dramatically. Just look at where they ranked in key rebounding categories the past three seasons, 2020-21 being the one Westbrook played for them:
2020-21: 8th in rpg (45.2), 6th in drpg (35.5), 15th in orpg (9.7), 19th in reb% (49.4), 16th in dreb% (73.6), 24th on oreb% (25.0)
2019-20: 28th in rpg (42.0), 28th in drpg (31.9), 17th in orpg (10.2), 30th in reb% (47.8), 27th in dreb% (71.2), 19th in oreb% (26.2)
2018-19: 27th in rpg (42.4), 27th in drpg (32.7), 23rd in orpg (9.7), 29th in reb% (47.7), 28th in dreb% (70.6), 25th in oreb% (25.2)
It can also be a good indicator of bad teams. Among the bottom-10 NBA teams in rebound percentage last year, only one (the Heat) made the playoffs. Six of the seven worst teams in the NBA based on record were in the bottom-10 of rebound percentage.
Folks love to focus on his shooting (or lack thereof), but dude brings so much more to the game. Rebounding is just one of Russell’s hustle...but it’s a significant one! When it comes to boards, he’s a lightening rod,man...He’s a star in that category and that other Dennis isn’t even comparable... well I guess there is one comparable trait.
No matter if one is a fan of RW or not, it’s pretty insulting to Russell to say a guy who has never proven to be anything more than a 6th man is on the same level as a multiple time all-star and a former MVP.
Schroder isn’t even the best 6th man at the moment. That title belongs to Clarkson right now.
Watching this, it seems maybe RW is a smarter player than he seems to be at first glance.
You can’t average the assist totals and rebounds he does unless you have solid bball IQ.
Just like with most who make it in the league, it has become easier for him as the game slows down with game reps, etc.
His issue is can he shoot well enough to deter the defense. Fortunately for him, this is the first time he plays with 2 other physically imposing stars so it should open things up even though it’s not a practical fit.
I feel like RW has had a reputation that's closer to a chicken with her head cut off than a smart and resourceful game manager.
I've even read people on this board say in the past that RW doesn't make his teammates better. I never understood how he didn't make his teammates better when he constantly averages so many assists.
I mean, KD bolted from OKC for a reason. If you swap in Kyrie Irving for Westbrook in that 2016 WCF series again the Warriors, OKC wouldn’t have blown that 3-1 lead.
Yes, and it's the same reason he bolted from GSW. He's weak-minded and cannot deal with pressure.
WB has a bad rap in the media, but the guy is a huge positive for his teammates. _________________ On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
Westbrook was just fine on defense in Washington. I looked at his game logs. He just needs to keep his man off the foul line — He can do that by funneling into Anthony and Dwight.
Absolutely, I do not expect him to become elite but it's not like he was a horrible defender especially when he had much less offensive responsibilities in his early days in OKC. I recall him being a defensive beast at UCLA and even showed a lot of that in OKC as well.
Like most Superstars that shoulder a big offensive load his defensive output became less and less the more he took on offensively. Now he's going to a situation with us where we don't need or even want him to shoulder a massive load while Bron and AD are in the lineup with him which hopefully causes him to fully buy in with Vogel and spend more energy on the defensive end as well. I think he will surprised a lottttt of people in the upcoming season.
This is obviously still a huge question mark i'm curious to watch as the season progresses but i'm betting on him in this aspect at least.
I would argue we shouldn’t have the delusion that just because a player becomes a Lakers, he would just suddenly change his style of play. Maybe just slight improvement
No matter if one is a fan of RW or not, it’s pretty insulting to Russell to say a guy who has never proven to be anything more than a 6th man is on the same level as a multiple time all-star and a former MVP.
Schroder isn’t even the best 6th man at the moment. That title belongs to Clarkson right now.
Yea although I don’t 100% buy in the the RW acquisition makes us a lot better argument, that’s based on the collective multiple 3&D players that we’ve lost and the fit. But if you just want to compare the players individually, RW is a lot a lot better than Schroder.
Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 4389 Location: Lake Nacimiento
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:12 pm Post subject:
lakersfan8 wrote:
hype wrote:
JUST-MING wrote:
Westbrook was just fine on defense in Washington. I looked at his game logs. He just needs to keep his man off the foul line — He can do that by funneling into Anthony and Dwight.
Absolutely, I do not expect him to become elite but it's not like he was a horrible defender especially when he had much less offensive responsibilities in his early days in OKC. I recall him being a defensive beast at UCLA and even showed a lot of that in OKC as well.
Like most Superstars that shoulder a big offensive load his defensive output became less and less the more he took on offensively. Now he's going to a situation with us where we don't need or even want him to shoulder a massive load while Bron and AD are in the lineup with him which hopefully causes him to fully buy in with Vogel and spend more energy on the defensive end as well. I think he will surprised a lottttt of people in the upcoming season.
This is obviously still a huge question mark i'm curious to watch as the season progresses but i'm betting on him in this aspect at least.
I would argue we shouldn’t have the delusion that just because a player becomes a Lakers, he would just suddenly change his style of play. Maybe just slight improvement
He doesn't have a choice but to change the way he plays along with Bron at least some if we want to actually win a Championship. I think both are fully capable and willing to at this stage of there career but of course only time will tell how well they do it and mesh together.
He was a great defender in college and had huge moments in OKC as well so it's not even a hope he changes his style much at all it's more so a hope he re-connects with his college and early NBA roots since he will now have much less offensive responsibility again allowing him more energy for the defensive side of things. Will that actually happen? I have no idea but I think he'll be better on the defensive end then he has been the last few years at least and he was far from horrible then so it's not really too crazy of a thought or hope imo
A delusion would more so be to expect him to be a shut down defender suddenly which I absolutely do not expect at all just somewhere in the middle.
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