Russell Westbrook will lead the Los Angeles Lakers in assists.
At this point, Westbrook has become the most maligned player in the entire league. He has always shown an unwillingness to change his game in such a way that he can excel playing next to other stars. It’s been an uphill battle for Westbrook to take the next steps necessary to win a championship. If that is the case, why then should Westbrook be looked at as the team leader in assists?
The answer is easy. Westbrook led the Lakers in assists last season, with a very respectable 7.1 per night. That might be on the lower end for a supposed “star” guard, but given that everybody seems to think he is a selfish player who takes bad shots and refuses to defer to anybody, that is a good number.
Really it is everything else that is the problem offensively for Westbrook. The unwillingness to move off the ball, and the fact he shot an awful 29.8 percent from deep last year. When you look at the rest of the roster, it is actually imperative that Westbrook once again leads the Lakers in this category.
Patrick Beverley may end up being a nice addition, and he may even take Westbrook’s place in the starting lineup quickly once the season begins. But we know he is here more to spread the floor (career 37.8 percent shooter from deep), provide veteran leadership and be a defensive presence who can hound opponent’s guards.
Kendrick Nunn didn’t feature last season, and although having him back is a bonus, he has never averaged more than 3.5 assists in a season. Expecting a huge increase here is unlikely, although if Nunn can stay healthy he could actually find himself becoming an important link between the stars and the rest of the roster with his play.
On another note, it is in the best interest of Westbrook to continue sharing the ball and leading the Lakers in assists. It will be a number he can point to as proof he has no problem teeing up LeBron and Davis, and will be a selling point of sorts if he finds himself struggling to stay in the league.