Kendrick Perkins states that the LA Lakers star point guard Russell Westbrook has been a key part of the team's recent run of good form
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Russell Westbrook has looked great for the LA Lakers off the bench. He has averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 7.2 APG this season. Although these numbers look very unlikely for Brodie, the city of Hollywood has been more than happy with what he’s done for the team. His energy coming off the bench has helped the Lakers go on scoring sprees, which has further resulted in great results for the franchise.
At the start of the season, Russell Westbrook looked to have yet another poor season. However, Darvin Ham’s decision of bringing him off the bench has helped him revive his career in LA. Many believed that the former MVP would find it tough to embrace the bench role. But as it turns out, his energy playing as the sixth man has been instrumental in the Lakers having a 6-2 record in their last 8 games.
Kendrick Perkins spoke highly about Russell Westbrook in his recent appearance on the “NBA Today” show. He stated that it all started for the Lakers when Westbrook embraced his role off the bench. Speaking more about this he said:
“With Russell Westbrook, we were watching as the media, the front office of the Lakers was watching, the rest of the league was watching, the rest of the league was watching to see if he would embrace the role of coming in off the bench, but guess who else was watching, the rest of his teammates, right. So all of a sudden you see Westbrook embrace this role of coming in off the bench, you see the fans gravitate towards him, you see the MVP chants, you started to see him have that smile and that passion again and then what else happened, Anthony Davis started playing better, LeBron James came back off the injury and he’s back to being LeBron James….. all those guys started playing with passion and started with Russell Westbrook setting the tone.”
Russell Westbrook is creating history off the bench. He has averaged 7.7 APG, which is the most for any player at the 6th man position. Brodie has seen a significant dip in his playing time, but it is when he shows up that the Lakers play with high energy. His presence has helped youngsters like Austin Reaves, Thomas Bryant and Wenyen Gabriel put in great performances. They have all acknowledged Westbrook and given credit to him.
His brilliance has helped him become a prime contender for the Sixth Man of the Year award. The closest competitor to him is rookie sensation Bennedict Mathurin. However, the biggest advantage Russell Westbrook has over the former Arizona player is experience. Having won a lot of laurels in his career, Westbrook is someone who knows when to peak. He has emerged as the front runner and if he continues to play well, there is no one that can stop him from making the 6 MOY trophy his own.
