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Russell Westbrook

How Much Will LeBron, AD, & Russ Have to Change Their Games to Win?

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Scheming to get three superstars to mesh is exponentially tougher than two superstars. The Lakers have to figure out how to merge the games of three high powered superstars into a championship offensive and defensive team.

While that sounds challenging, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook are on the Lakers today because of the ‘meeting of the minds’ they had in LA at LeBron’s home two weeks before free agency last summer. With Russ at the one, LeBron and AD agreed to slide to the four and five to leave room in the lineup for 3-point shooters at the two and three. That’s the championship lineup that was put in mothballs last regular season.

With three centers on the roster last season— Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, and Andre Drummond — the Lakers limited Anthony Davis to just 10 regular season minutes per game and 20 playoff minutes per game at center. While some of the lack of playing time at the five could be blamed on Davis’ injury issues, there’s no question the Lakers were strategically trying to limit his minutes playing center and accommodate his preference to play the four.

But the addition of Russell Westbrook changed everything, including asking LeBron James to move to the four and play off the ball and Anthony Davis to play major minutes at the five despite his stated preference to play the four.

WHAT’S THE LAKERS’ PLAN TO OPTIMIZE THEIR SUPERSTARS?

Rob Pelinka said in his press conference today the Lakers accomplished their three main offseason goals: adding 3-point shooting, playmaking, and a return to the two athletic/defensive center model from their title run.

The challenge Pelina will be passing on to head coach Vogel is how to fit the Lakers’ new playmaking in the form of Russell Westbrook, six new proven 3-point shooters, and two new traditional low post centers into viable lineups. The dilemma is that none of the Lakers three superstars are elite 3-point shooters so playing a traditional center along with three superstars only leaves one lineup spot for a team that now has six proven 3-point shooters.

While Vogel has not yet specified what position James and Davis will be playing this season, the team’s roster construction following the Westbrook trade clearly favors LeBron moving to the four and Davis moving to the five. Realistically, Rob Pelinka has given coach Frank Vogel a roster that clearly appears to have been specificaly constructed to support a small ball lineup with LeBron James playing the four and Anthony Davis playing the five.

From the roster construction Pelinka put together and the media comments from sources like Marc Stein, Jovan Buha, and Rich Paul, the Lakers’ front office’s plan was for the team to embrace small ball on steroids.

WHAT CAN THE LAKERS LEARN FROM THE NETS LAST SEASON?

Even though Durant, Iving, and Harden only played 35, 54, and 36 games respectively out of the 72-game regular season schedule, the Lakers can still learn a lot about what to expect statistically from their three superstars.

Basically, the Los Angeles Lakers followed the identical route the Brooklyn Nets did to build their superstar big three, trading for a elite point guard to be their third superstar to complement their existing superstar twosome. The Lakers got their superstar big three by trading for Russell Westbrook to go with LeBron James and Anthony Davis while the Nets got theirs by trading for James Harden to complement Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Changes are inevitable when a team starts a lineup with a superstar big three with a 30% usage rate because there just aren’t enough minutes or touches for all three superstars to continue playing the same way. For the Nets, the superstar who sacrificed was James Harden, who became the team’s primary playmaker but saw his points drop from 35 to 25 ppg. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving basically posted the same stats as prior year.

Harden’s adjustment to be more of a playmaker than scorer is an example of the kind of sacrifices superstars need to make to win and is exactly what the Lakers will need mostly from LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

WHAT CHANGES WILL LEBRON, AD, AND RUSS HAVE TO MAKE?

With James Harden sacrificing scoring for playmaking, the Brooklyn Nets integration of a third superstar went smoothly. The Lakers’ integration of Russell Westbrook, however, could very well turn out to be transformative.

The Lakers aren’t going to ask newcomer Russell Westbrook as the third superstar to change his game the way the Nets did James Harden. Instead, they’re going to use the Westbrook trade as an opportunity to go small. Instead of asking Russ to change how he plays, the Lakers plan to give him the ball, move LeBron to the four to cut his workload and extend his career, and slide AD to the five to unleash their small-ball-on-steroids lineups.

While Russell Westbrook will have to improve his shot selection, limit his turnovers, and play elite team defense, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have to make the biggest adjustments since they have to change positions. Fortunately, James and Davis have championship experience playing the four and five together so the adjustment should be seamless and give the Lakers the best offensive and defensive frontcourt duo in the entire league.

In the end, the adjustment the Lakers have to make to integrate Russell Westbrook as their third superstar is to transition from a team running traditional twin towers lineups to a small ball-on-steroids juggernaut.

How Going Small Will Unleash Lakers’ Offense, Defense, & Transition Games!

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The arrival of Russell Westbrook not only gives the Los Angeles Lakers a legitimate third superstar but also the catalyst to enable them to unleash their championship version of ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ in the regular season.

The Lakers’ sudden dramatic change in course shocked everybody as the pundits expected L.A. to bring back most of their bubble championship roster despite sufferring an embarrassing injury plagued first round exit. Never afraid to shoot for the moon, the Lakers dumped their entire roster except for LeBron, AD, and THT, traded for polarizing point guard Russell Westbrook, and fully embraced playing small ball in the regular season.

The naysayers and doubters continue to predict the Lakers will still start either Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan at center rather than Davis, who’s been reluctant to play the five fulltime since signing with Los Angeles. However, news reports LeBron and AD agreed before the trade to move to the four and five to accommodate Russ and Rich Paul telling teams the same thing at the Chicago combine clearly indicate major change is coming.

Switching to small ball during the regular season as well as in the playoffs opens the door for the Lakers to start games with a five-out spread-the-floor offense and close out games with a shut-down switch-everything defense. With the Russell Westbrook taking over at the one and two of the fastest and quickest big men in the game in LeBron James and Anthony Davis manning the four and five, the Lakers will also lead the league in fast breaks.

With Russ manning the one, LeBron willing to give up the ball and move to the four, and AD finally willing to play the five during the regular season, the Lakers have a chance to lead the league in offense, defense, and transition.

SO WHY DID THE LAKERS SUDDENLY DECIDE TO GO SMALL?

The opportunity to trade for a legitimate third superstar in Westbrook was the reason the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly decided to commit to playing their version of ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ in the regular season and playoffs.

After an injury plagued first round playoffs exit and anticipating a potential NBA Finals matchup with the Brooklyn Nets and their Superstar Big Three of Duarant, Irving, and Harden, the Lakers needed to make a bold move. They had two priorities: a ‘difference-making playmaker’ so LeBron James could move off the ball to power forward and multiple high volume, high percentage 3-point shooters to create spacing for the team’s superstars.

While Russ checked the boxes as a ‘difference-making playmaker,’ his poor shooting from the line and deep all but guaranteed the Lakers would have to move LeBron and AD to the four and five and play small for it to work. That’s why Pelinka went out and signed six proven veteran 3-point shooters, including two who were excellent perimeter defenders, to give Vogel the pieces he needed to create optimum lineups for their three superstars.

It was obvious from the start trading for Westbrook could only work if the Lakers committed to playing small ball with Russ at the one, LeBron at the four, AD at the five, and a pair of elite 3-point shooters to creat spacing.

HOW DOES GOING SMALL HELP THE LAKERS OFFENSIVELY?

Anthony Davis’ reluctance to play center fulltime to avoid injuries and extend his career has prevented the Lakers from putting the best version of themselves on the court since they traded for him two years ago.

Trading for Westbrook changed everything, forcing the Lakers to embrace small ball during the regular season so they can deploy a pair of proven 3-point shooters to create floor spacing for superstars LeBron, AD, and Russ. With a Superstar Big Three who were subpar 3-point shooters, there was no way the Lakers could afford to waste a spot in their starting or closing lineup for a traditional center like Howard or Jordan who have no 3-point gravity.

While 5-out sets would create floor spacing for LeBron and AD to attack the rim, the real beneficiary of better spacing would be Russ, who had one of his best years ever when the Rockets traded Capela to go all-in on small ball. Pulling opposing centers and power forwards out of the paint, the Lakers can create opportunities for James, Davis, and Westbrook to go 1-on-1 against their defenders without having to worry about a shot blocker.

Offensively, the Lakers’ 5-out ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ sets will optimize what Russell Westbrook can do attacking the rim while setting up LeBron James and Anthony Davis to feast in the paint and dominate on the glass.

HOW DOES GOING SMALL HELP THE LAKERS DEFENSIVELY?

It’s been less than a year ago since the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th championship in the bubble by dominating opposing defenses with their ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ defense with LeBron at the four and AD at the five.

Besides adding six proven veteran 3-point shooters to allow the Lakers to play 5-out on offense, the Lakers made sure two of those sharp shooters were also versatile perimter defenders capable of switching everything. While the Lakers could pair Ellington and Nunn with their three superstars for an elite starting lineup, they could also pair Bazemore and Ariza with James, Davis, and Westbrook for a lethal switch-everything defense.

That’s a Lakers’ closing lineup of Westbrook (6′ 3″ with 6′ 8″ wingspan), Bazemore (6′ 4″ with 7′ 0″ wingspan), Ariza (6′ 8″ with 7′ 2″ wingspan), James (6′ 9″ with 7′ 0″ wingspan), and Davis (6′ 10″ with 7′ 6″ wingspan). Being able to roll out a lineup with five strong defenders with size and length to switch every screen is a killer weapon to have available in this pick-and-roll driven era. What makes this lineup work is there’s no weak link to attack.

The Lakers’ switch-everything small-ball-on-steroids lineup is not only big, long, and fast but plays a physical bully-ball suffocating style of defense. Switching to small ball full-time will make the Lakers’ defense the best.

HOW DOES GOING SMALL HELP THE LAKERS IN TRANSITION?

The Lakers expect to lead the NBA in pace and recreate Showtime with Russell Westbrook leading the charge with LeBron and AD on the wings and a pair of deadeye 3-point shooters sprinting to get open in the corners.

The Lakers may set records for transition and early offense points next season as their bully-ball defense plus the sheer speed and quickness of their small ball lineups is goiing to create easy fast break opportunities. Similarly, having fierce finishers like LeBron James and Anthony Davis running the wings with Russell Westbrook is going ensure the Lakers cash in on those opportunities in the regular season and even in the playoffs.

If Westbrook was able to get the Wizards playing at the fastest pace in the NBA, he should have no problem driving the Lakers to new records in transition points and efficiency. We’ll see the modern version of Showrime. While the Lakers have prioritized taking and making more threes, they’re also going to be at the rim more than maybe any team ever. They won’t concede the 3-point battle but they plan to dominate teams in transition.

Nothing hurts an offense more than knowing soon as a shot goes up they have to hustle back on defense rather than trying for offensive rebounds or stealing an outlet pass. Playing smaller and faster is a killer in transition.

Can Lakers Cure Russell Westbrook’s Free Throw & 3-Point Shooting Woes?

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There’s been a lot of talk about Russell Westbrook exacerbating rather than helping the Lakers’ need for better free throw and 3-point shooting but a close review of his stats renews hopes his shooting struggles can be cured.

Let me first be clear about a couple of major issues. First, the critics have gone way overboard by throwing Russ under the bus for his shooting woes while ignoring the unbelievable contributions he makes in other areas. Second, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers deserve high praise for the moves they made after the Westbrook trade to add six sharpshooters who can make their free throws and shoot a high volume and high percentage from deep.

The crux of the moves Pelinka made this offseason was to shift the team’s 3-point production from superstars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, none of whom is really a reliable or trustworthy 3-point shooter. While LeBron, AD, and Russ are not going to stop shooting threes, the Lakers’ plan is to have their superstars attack the rim to create wide open threes for the six new 3-point shooters they signed this offseason.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how Russ’ stats contain valulable clues that should alow the Lakers to find a cure to improve his 65% free throw percentage from 65% to 75% and his 3-point percentage from 31.5% to 35%.

HOW TO FIX WESTBROOK’S FREE THROW SHOOTING

Let’s start with Russell’s issues at the free throw line. Last season, he averaged 65.6% from the line, which matched the 65.6% he shot three seasons ago. Russ will need to shoot better to close games for the Lakers.

The good news is Russ is a career 79% free throw shooter over 13 seasons, who shot over 80% from the line 8 of his first 10 seasons. The bad news is his free throw percentage dropped to 68.8% over the last three years. The question the Lakers need to answer is what happened to cause the elite free throw shooter who shot 81.4% over his first 10 years to have his free throw percentage to drop 12.7% to just 68.8% over the last three years?

Nothing jumps out from reviewing his stats or comparing his free throw shooting routine now and then that explains the precitous drop in free throw percentage. There’s no correlation to his shots or free throws taken. The solution is for the Mike Penworthy, the Lakers’ shooting coach, to work with Russ to get him back to shooting free throws with the accuracy he did during his first 10 years in the league. This is a problem coaching can fix.

Getting Russell Westbrook to improve his free throw shooting from 65% to 75% as a Lakers is an attainable goal, especially since Russ won’t have the heavy workload he had at Oklahoma City, Houston, or Washington.

HOW TO IMPROVE WESTBROOK’S 3-POINT SHOOTING

When an NBA player is an elite free throw shooter, which Westbrook was his first 10 years, there’s a good chance that player will also develop into a capable 3-point shooter. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen with Russ.

But looking at his 3-point shooting stats for last season by quarter and by half revealed information that could explain Westbrook’s inconsistency when it comes to 3-point shooting and suggest a possible plan to improve. Last season, Russ shot a mediocre 31.5% on 1.3 of 4.2 threes per game but when you dig deeper you find Russ shot a respectable 35.0% on 0.6 of 1.7 threes in the 1st half but a dismal 29.1% on 0.7 of 2.4 threes in the 2nd half.

That suggests the pressure and workload playing on the Wizards could have caused Russ’ shooting percentage to dive the second half of games. Russ’ worst quarter all year long was the 4th, when he shot 27.8% from three. Frankly, playing on the Lakers with superstar bigs like LeBron James and Anthony Davis should enable Russ to dial down his effort on offense, limit his shot selection, and focus more on playmaking and attacking the rim.

A dose of restraint and discipline and less pressure and workload should give Russ the opportunity to raise his 3-point shooting from 31.5% to 35%, which would be the highest 3-point percentage in his storied 13-year career.

WHAT WESTBROOK HAS TO DO TO FIT IN WITH LAKERS

Russell Westbrook has a well-earned reputation for being a stubborn player and while he’s played with superstars like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Bradley Beal, he’s never won a championship in his 13 seasons in the NBA.

The Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook to win their 18th championship. They’re taking the ball out of LeBron’s hands and putting it in Russ’ hands. His job will be attack the rim and turn this year’s Lakers into Showtime 2.0. For the new big three to click, all three superstars must make sacrifices. That means Russ learning to make his free throws and limiting his 3-point shots, LeBron moving to the four and playing off the ball, and AD playing the five.

All of this was obviously discussed during the meeting in Los Angeles before free agency between Russ, LeBron, and AD so each of the superstars knew beforehand what they would need to do to make the surprise trade work. Had that meeting not happened, the Lakers would have probably not traded for Russ and Buddy Hield would likely be wearing purple and gold right now. And give Pelinka credit for still being able to get the shooting they needed.

The basketball media wrongly thinks the Lakers made mistake trading for Westbrook because his poor shooting is a bad fit. In the end, the Lakers will not only prove they can win the championship but also that Russ can shoot.

Six Areas Where Los Angeles Lakers Dramatically Improved Their Offense!

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After an injury plagued season, dismal first round exit, and 24th worst offensive rating, the Lakers revamped their entire roster in an extreme makeover to transform their offense into a potentially lethal juggernaut.

Aside from superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, 20-year old guard Talen Horton-Tucker appears to be the only other player the Lakers are bringing back from their 2020–21 roster, assuming Marc Gasol’s also gone. The extreme makeover confirms the Lakers didn’t believe they could win with last year’s roster or that they had enough offensive firepower to keep up with the emerging superteam the Brooklyn Nets have put together.

While the Lakers may have ignored players from last year’s roster, they were not afraid to bring back several key players from their bubble championship team, including star point guard Rajon Rondo and center Dwight Howard. They also didn’t hesitate to dip into their own history and bring back several former Lakers players who are excellent fits for what the they need right now, including veterans Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, and Trevor Ariza.

The Lakers upgraded six offensive areas in their makeover: volume 3-point shooting, better playmaking, more lobs and dunks at the rim, enhanced offensive rebounding, faster transition offense, and more shot creators.

1. PLAYMAKING TO FREE LEBRON TO PLAY OFF THE BALL

The Lakers number one goal this offseason was to find a ‘difference-making playmaker’ so LeBron James could evolve from the team’s defacto point guard and to full-time power forward to save energy and extend his career.

The mega trade for Russell Westbrook opened the door for the Lakers to add a legitimate third superstar, something that’s extremely valuable over a long season and empowers them to matchup better against the Brooklyn Nets. Most importantly, the trade allows the Lakers to finally move LeBron James to the four and Anthony Davis to the five, the positions at which they play the best and the team’s lineups excel both offensively and defensively.

While Westbrook exacerbates rather than helps solve the Lakers need for more and better 3-point shooting, the opportunity to add a dynamic third superstar who averages a triple-double like he does could not be passed up. What Russ brings in the form of relentlessness, energy, and explosivelness at both ends more than offsets the additional pressure he brings for more high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting to create spacing.

Re-signing Rajon Rondo, third best player in their championship run in the bubble, completes the Lakers’ plan to upgrade team playmaking not only to reduce the workload on LeBron but also to win the minutes when he rests.

2. VOLUME 3-POINT SHOOTING TO CREATE SPACING

Once the Lakers decided to go all in on a third superstar by trading for Russell Westbrook, Rob Pelinka’s focus immediately shifted to looking for high volume, high percentage 3-point shooters to create spacing.

Assuming Westbrook would play the one, James the four, and Davis the five, Pelinka focused on adding players who could play both the two and three, assuming those were the positions to dedicate to volume 3-point shooters. The Lakers signed six tested and proven veteran 3-point shooters who could play the two or three and who take a high volume of threes and make them at a high percentage to create spacing to unleash their three superstars.

The Lakers’ new corps of 3-point sharpshooters includes Wayne Ellington, who shot 42.2% on 6.0 threes per game, Kendrick Nunn, who shot 38.1% on 5.7 threes per game, and Malik Monk, who shot 40.1 on 5.0 threes per game. Other 3-point shooters include Carmelo Anthony, who shot 40.9% on 4.7 threes per game, Trevor Ariza, who shot 35.0% on 4.8 threes per game, and Kent Bazemore, who shot 40.8 on 2.7 threes per game.

With three superstars who are subpar 3-point shooters, the Lakers are not going to suddenly become a top-ten 3-point shooting team but they have the players to take and make a lot more threes than the last two years.

3. VERTICAL GRAVITY OFF LOBS AND DUNKS AT THE RIM

The Lakers attempted to upgrade their offense after winning their 17th championship by replacing traditional low post centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard with offensive centers Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell.

Unfortunately, that move undermined the Lakers’ rim protection and also reduced the number of dunks at the rim by all of their centers, including Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, and Andre Drummond. During their championship season, the Lakers led the league with 528 dunks. Last year, they had only 342 dunks, which represented a 35% decrease or 186 fewer dunks even though they carried four different centers on the roster.

While there’s no discernable proof that teams who dunk more win more, the Lakers strongly believe their dominating front court, demoralizing dunks, and physical bully ball style of play were part of their championship puzzle. Dwight Howard’s return, DeAndre Jordan’s signing, LeBron James’ move to power forward, and Anthony Davis’ increased minutes at center should all contribute to the Lakers bouncing back and leading the league in dunks.

The Lakers are clearly reverting back to the bully ball and physical play formula that won their bubble championship. They intend to lead and intimidate the league in blocked shots a dunks thrown down a the rim.

4. OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING AND DOMINATING THE GLASS

Just as the loss of McGee and Howard resulted in less rim protection on defense and vertical gravity on offense, the Lakers’ offensive rebounding stats declined with Gasol, Harrell, and Drummond at center last season.

During their championship run, the Lakers were 7th in the league in offensive rebounding with 10.7 offensive boards per game. Last season, with a new center corps, they fell to 17th with 9.7 offensive boards per game. With LeBron at the four and AD at the five and two backup centers in Howard and Jordan who have histories of being aggressive rebounders, the Lakers should be ready for a big bounce back in offensive rebounds.

Dominating the glass offensively can be demoralizing as a team can play great defense for 24 seconds only to see their opponent grab an offensive rebound and get another 14 seconds to attack the defense and try to score. Dominating the glass defensively is the key to the Lakers’ ability to score in transition offense as teams need the ball in order to run. The Lakers’ fast break starts with somebody on the team grabbing the ball and running.

The Lakers’ goal is to dominate the glass at both ends of the court, grabbing defensive rebounds to trigger transition fast breaks on offense and snagging offensive rebounds to generate second chance points on defense.

5. LEAGUE LEADING TRANSITION AND EARLY OFFENSE

During the 2019–20 championship season, the Lakers played at a 101.20 pace, which was the 7th best pace in the NBA that year. Last season, the Lakers pace dropped to 98.85, 21st out of the 30 teams in the league.

The single biggest change the Lakers will experience this season after trading for triple-double point guru Russell Westbrook is a dramatic increase in the team’s pace and points in transition or early offense opportunities. Last season, Westbrook posted a triple-double of 22.2 points, 11.5 boards, and 11.7 assists in 36.4 minutes per game with a league. With his relentless energy, Russ led the run-and-gun Wizards to a league best pace of 104.67.

Besides playing at a faster than normal pace, the Lakers have been one of the most efficient transition teams, scoring on a 3rd best 52.9% of chances last season and on a 4th best 52.2% of chances in their championship run. The addition of Westbrook should only add to the Lakers’ efficiency in creating transition and early offense opportunities. No NBA team can match the Lakers fast break. They will literally reprise their Showtime days.

The Lakers should lead the NBA in transition opportunities and execution with elite fast break playmakers like Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, and LeBron James attacking the rim, dishing out dimes, and finishing dunks.

6. MULTIPLE SCORERS WHO CAN GET THEIR OWN SHOT

The final area of offense the Lakers dramatically upgraded this offseason was adding proven big time scorers other than LeBron and AD capable of getting their own shots off the bounce when games were on the line.

Heading that list of players who could get their own high quality shot when needed are Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, two veteran scorers with a history of being able to get points for their teams down the stretch. Russ finished with 76.3% of his points scored in isolation and Melo with an 51.7% of his points in isolation. Both are proven veteran scorers with moves and handles to create high quality shots for themselves when needed.

Having two additional stars who are comfortable being isolated with the ball and able to create shots for themselves besides LeBron, AD, and Russ makes the Lakers offense much more dangerous and unpredictable. Teams won’t be able to double LeBron or AD like they were the last two years since they will have to respect Russ’ and Melo’s ability to beat their man off the dribble and create a high quality shot to close out games.

The addition of Russ and Melo have given the Lakers two more star scorers for teams to fear down the stretch of games besides James and Davis. It will be interesting to see whom the Lakers close games with this season.

Four Reasons Why Russell Westbrook Will Lead Lakers to the Championship

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Forget the doubters and haters who claim the Lakers made a big mistake trading for Russell Westbrook to replace Dennis Schroder as the team’s starting point guard because Russ’ subpar outside shooting is a poor fit.

The reality is Russell Westbrook is a legitimate third superstar for the Lakers who brings more than enough to the table to offset any concerns about his shot selection or subpar shooting percentages from midrange and deep. Westbrook gives the Lakers a Superstar Big Three to match the Nets, two superstars who can create a triple-double every game, a chance at a record for points in transition, and a positive net rating with LeBron on the bench.

Let’s take a closer look at what Russell Westbrook brings to the Los Angeles Lakers and the four reasons why he’ll be the perfect third superstar for LeBron and AD and will lead the purple and gold to the NBA championship.

1. LAKERS WILL HAVE A LEGITIMATE SUPERSTAR BIG THREE

Winning in the NBA comes down to superstars and the Russell Westbrook trade finally gives the Los Angeles Lakers the third superstar they desperately need to keep pace in the arms race with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets showed last season how important having a third superstar is when competing for an NBA championship. Despite injuries to all three superstars, Brooklyn still had two superstars available each game. Had L.A. had three superstars last season, they may have been able to work around the injury issues that led to their first round upset at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. The third superstar raises a team’s floor and ceiling.

Besides providing insurance against injuries and unique load management opportunities, having a third superstar also gives the Lakers the versatility to create lethal lineups that teams without three superstars simply can’t match. For example, if healthy, the Lakers could easily stagger their Superstar Big Three so they would have three superstars on the court to start and close games and at least two superstars on the court at all times during the game.

A legitimate Superstar Big Three gives NBA teams vital insurance against injuries to their superstars and the versatility to create dominating lineups with multiple superstars against whom most teams have no defense.

2. LAKERS WILL HAVE TWO TRIPLE-DOUBLE THREATS

The Westbrook trade not only gives the Lakers two superstars capable of posting a triple-double every game this season but also enables them to have a ‘difference-making playmaker’ on the floor all 48 minutes of game.

The early offseason reports confirmed the Lakers’ top priority this offseason was to acquire a transcendent top-10 point guard to enable LeBron James to give up the ball and move to power forward and Anthony Davis to center. Turning over control of the ball to Russell Westbrook, the greatest triple-double machine in league history with 184 career triple-doubles, guarantees the Lakers will continue to receive elite playmaking from point guard.

Westbrook’s win-loss record when posting a triple double is 138–46 or 75%. While his overall scoring numbers may decrease, Russ should be able to continue to average a triple-double playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Assuming Russ plays all 82 regular season games, the Lakers should have a great chance to win more than 60 games during the regular season, which would be their best record since they went 65–19 in the 2008–09 season.

Having two legitimate triple-double threats in LeBron James and Russell Westbrook should dramatically improve the Los Angeles Lakers’ ability to win games during the long regular season and critical playoff scenarios.

3. LAKERS WILL LEAD LEAGUE IN TRANSITION OFFENSE

With the addition of Westbrook, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to return to the halcyon days of Showtime, when Magic Johnson’s playmaking ignited the greatest fast break transition offense in NBA history.

Adding a superhero like the Flash to a team that already boasts Superman and Batman could be overkill but pushing the ball in transition has become the NBA formula for getting high percentage shots before defenses get set. Teams understand scoring in transition or early offense opportunities have become a necessity when playing teams who have solid half court defenses. Westbrook’s speed and pressure on the rim in transition are unmatched.

In a disappointing last season, the Lakers struggled mightily in transition, finishing 21st out of 30 NBA teams with a pace of 98.85 but they were still 8th out of 30 teams with 1.14 points per game in transition efficiency. With Westbrook running the point, the Washington Wizards finished first last season with a transition pace of 104.67, 1.82 points better than the Bucks, who were the second fastest team in the league with a pace of 102.85.

The addition of Russell Westbrook should enable the Lakers to recreate the halcyon days of Magic Johnson and Showtime and catapult themselves to the top of the league when it comes to transition pace and efficiency.

4. LAKERS WILL WIN THE MINUTES LEBRON JAMES RESTS

The addition of Westbrook will give Los Angeles Lakers an opportunity this season to do something no LeBron James team has been able to do in any of his 19 seasons in the league, which is win the minutes when he rests.

The last two seasons, despite having a second superstar in Anthony Davis, the Lakers still saw their net rating plummet whenever they rested LeBron James. Their production without LeBron hit rock botton against Phoenix. With LeBron James in the lineup, the Lakers posted a +4.8 point differential. When LeBron rested, the Suns destroyed the Lakers, who posted a -46.9 point differential without LeBron during the series, much without Davis.

The Lakers’ problems without LeBron can be attributed to their lack of a ‘difference-making playmaker’ to run the offense when the King was on the bench. The availability of two other superstars clearly changes that dynamic. Being able to play lineups with Westbrook and Davis that can dominate opponents when LeBron James rests could be the biggest advantage having a Superstar Big Three brings to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Winning the non-LeBron minutes could be the biggest game changer the Lakers will reap from trading for Russell Westbrook. Russ and AD plus three high percentage, high volume 3-point shooters could be a lethal lineup.