It's Time for LA Lakers to Pull Russell Westbrook from Closing Lineup

The Los Angeles Lakers don't need to get rid of Russell Westbrook the way Houston did with John Wall. The players who give the best chance to win are the ones that Darvin Ham needs to close out games with.

That isn't what he's called.

Troy Brown Jr., who had not played a regular-season game in a Lakers uniform, was one of the players who helped Los Angeles build a 98-90 lead against Portland.

The results were immediate because of the substitution for Brown.

The Lakers' offense all but stopped once Westbrook came back into the game. They were held to six points in the last 4:42 of the game.

The Lakers had a one-point lead with 30 seconds to go. The Lakers' worst shooter took a shot with 18 seconds left on the shot clock instead of touching the ball.

Kirk Goldsberry @kirkgoldsberry

Russell Westbrook has made 3 of 17 jump shots this season.

Also, he is the only player that has attempted a jump shot with under 30 seconds to go and 15+ seconds left on the shot clock with their team up by 1 possession in the last 4 seasons. pic.twitter.com/DrH8UEs2L9

James and Davis weren't sure what to think when the shot was taken. Damian Lillard's three-pointer gave the Portland Trail blazers a 104-102 lead, but that's as close as they'd get.

The Lakers are not getting much attention on defense. It's hard for James, Davis and the rest of the team to score.

It should have been clear last year that Westbrook is not a good fit with the other two players. Despite that, general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers' front office kept the trio together, and Ham is a first-year head coach.

After the game, Ham told reporters that they don't have time for people to be angry.

He needs to keep his word.

Ham spent a lot of the off-season repeating that Westbrook had a Hall of Fame career The conclusion that today's Westbrook on the Lakers just doesn't work needs to be reached quickly.

Centering In on Westbrook

During the 2020 NBA playoffs, Frank Vogel was the head coach of the Lakers and he guarded Oklahoma City's point guard. The front office of the Lakers should have been aware of that strategy before they acquired him.

They are now getting a chance to try their own medicine.

In their recent win over the Lakers, the LA Clippers used that tactic. It was used down the stretch of the Sunday game as well.

Ben Golliver @BenGolliver

Blazers coach Chauncey Billups on matching up center Jusuf Nurkic with Lakers guard Russell Westbrook late: “Putting him on Russ, we were just going to kind of play off of Russ.” pic.twitter.com/XSPpejrCgz

The Lakers play a 4-out offense with one player on the ball and four players in the paint. They don't have a lot of room to operate on the offensive side.

One executive told them to pack it in. There's no reason to criticize them because they don't have a lot of shooters.

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo

The Lakers are 25-118 from 3-point range through 3 games this season.In NBA history, there have been over 6,100 instances of a team taking at least 100 threes over a 3-game span.

Their 21.2% is the second-lowest of any of them, only ahead of a span from the 2018 Hawks (21.0%). pic.twitter.com/rYOqTRmWYB

The Lakers have competed in two of their three losses despite shooting the worst three-point percentage in the league. Their defense has helped counteract the league's worst offensive rating. They are allowing less than 100 points per 100 possessions.

The Lakers don't have a solution to their shooting problems, but they do have a way to close games. Despite shooting 28.9 percent from the field and 8.3 percent from three-point range, he's getting 28.6 minutes per game.

Why should opponents be careful with the man? He and his teammates can't force them to pay with outside shots.

It's up for debate if the Lakers would be better off sending Westbrook home, but Ham doesn't have to make that drastic of a decision yet.

He is giving more effort on the defensive side of the ball. He can still play a role in the Lakers' transition.

The roster needs to be better managed in the fourth quarter. He needs to surround James and Davis with players who are productive. Yet he is closing games.

The front office and Pelinka are at the center of the challenge. This year, the man is making over 50 million dollars. It's more than each of them. The Lakers need to use their cap space in a better way.

Difficult choices need to be made until that happens.

The Lakers have lost their first three games against the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Wolves and New Orleans Hornets. People can't be in their feelings.

He shouldn't be in the Lakers' final lineup until he proves he's a better fit with James and Davis.

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