Getty Russell and Nina Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook have a rocky relationship at present, most notably because of the team’s insistence on trying to trade the superstar guard throughout the summer.
Of course, the writing was already on the wall for Westbrook, as he saw his relationship with the fan base nosedive toward the end of the regular season – and that’s usually a sign it’s time for a change.
Now, after months of rhetoric from both the Lakers and the national media, that relationship has taken another blow, as Nina Westbrook (Russell’s wife) took to Instagram to share a cryptic post to her stories.
Russell Westbrook’s wife, Nina, posted this on Instagram hours after the Lakers cancelled a press conference 🤔
“Bottle of water can be a dollar at a supermarket, $3 at the gym, $5 at the movies, $6 on a plane, and $10 on vacation. Same water. The only thing that changed its value was the place. So the next time you feel your worth is nothing, maybe you’re at the wrong place,” Nina Westbrook posted.
Given the number of discussions surrounding Westbrook’s current value, his ability to impact winning at the highest level, and his shortcomings as a player, it’s no surprise that his wife is coming to his defense, but it will be interesting to see what unfolds from here.
Westbrook Expected to Start Next Season
Beyond discussions surrounding Westbrook’s limited skillset, there has also been a significant amount of media coverage regarding what his role will be next season, and whether the Lakers are better off with the guard accepting a bench role.
However, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on a September 19 episode of NBA Today, it would appear the Lakers still see their superstar guard as a starter and will move forward with him lining up alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“From what I understand now, they still see Russell Westbrook as a starter. He’s a former MVP. He’s given that respect. Everyone’s gonna compete for jobs. … Russell Westbrook is the starter there,” Shelburne explained.
As such, one would hope the Lakers are looking to plug a shooter into the second guard position, and another at the small forward spot – otherwise the team’s spacing is going to be non-existent, and that won’t bode well in the modern NBA.
Lakers Could Play Beverley as a Small Forward
One way which the Lakers are supposedly considering accommodating Westbrook’s position in the starting lineup is by moving Patrick Beverley into an unfamiliar position. In a recent SteinLine newsletter, long-time NBA writer Marc Stein noted how the Lakers were seriously considering running Beverley as a small forward, despite the fact that he’s only six-foot-one.
The Sarver Situation latest, Dennis Schroder to the Lakers, Nets and Warriors scuttle and lots more … all via the latest This Week In Basketball column (International Edition) delivering you around-the-league NBA notes on a Sunday:
“With Westbrook poised to remain a Laker when new coach Darvin Ham opens his first training camp as L.A.’s new coach, sources say Beverley is regarded internally by the club as a 3-and-D wing and not as a point guard at this stage of his career. The Lakers, in other words, see Westbrook and Schröder as their point guards as of Sept. 18 … and the likes of Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves, and Lonnie Walker IV as 2s and 3s,” Stein wrote in his September 18 newsletter.
Beverley has been in the NBA for 10 years and has never occupied a role on the wing, so it will be interesting to see if Darvin Ham can make it work, or if the combative guard’s lack of size will leave him exposed against some of the best talents the NBA has to offer.
It’s going to be an interesting start to the season for the Lakers, that’s for sure.