Austin Reaves Explains Why The Russell Westbrook-Featured Los Angeles Lakers Didn’t Work Out

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A number of fans were thrilled when the Los Angeles Lakers brought Russell Westbrook to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the 2021-22 NBA season, but many also raised eyebrows, suspecting it might not pan out.

It turned out the skeptics were on point. The Westbrook experiment was a major blunder, leading the Lakers to miss the playoffs in the 2021-22 NBA season and to one of the worst league records pre-trade in the 2022-23 season.

Moreover, the Lakers improved immensely after trading Westbrook and adding players who better fit the roster. This allowed them to climb the rankings and eventually secure their ticket to the NBA playoffs.

Having watched Westbrook closely and playing a crucial role during this tumultuous period, Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves explained why the Lakers didn’t succeed with the former league MVP. He shared these insights while speaking to NBA analyst Zach Lowe on “The Lowe Post.”

“I’ve said it many times. It just wasn’t a good fit. Me and Bron [LeBron] have talked about it. He mentioned, ‘Before that year, we were last in the league in transition points, so it made sense.’ Watching it all go downhill was interesting. The lingering question for me was how could we have figured it out? With that roster, there wasn’t really a way.”