Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron shouldn't rely on Westbrook to pick up Davis' slack, Sharpe says

Published Dec. 21, 2021 7:12 p.m. ET

It's looking as though a trying season for the Los Angeles Lakers is about to stay that way, at least for the foreseeable future.

Coming off of back-to-back losses, the Lakers sit at 16-15, clinging to the seventh seed in the NBA's hyper-competitive Western Conference ahead of Tuesday's meeting with the Phoenix Suns.

Worst of all, with Anthony Davis out for at least a month with a sprained MCL, LeBron James & Co. are down a pivotal figure in their quest to get on a roll before the calendar flips to 2022.

Dr. Matt examines Anthony Davis' knee injury and timetable for return

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With A.D. out, it begs the question: Who will fill the void?

As Shannon Sharpe explained Tuesday on "Undisputed," the answer isn't Russell Westbrook.

"The last thing I want [for] Russ is to do more," Sharpe said. "That's the last thing. You want a guy that's inefficient, that's turnover prone doing more?"

In his first season with the Lakers, Westbrook is averaging just 19.5 points per game, the fewest of his career since his first two years in the league.

He also leads the league with 141 turnovers and his 8.3 assists per game are a steep drop from the 11.7 he averaged a season ago with the Washington Wizards.

Though Davis' absence will force some kind of change from the Lakers offensively, Sharpe reiterated that he doesn't see Westbrook making a productive adjustment.

"Now that A.D. is removed, the game is going to dictate how he plays — when the game has never dictated how he plays? He plays how he plays," Sharpe said. "… So, I've got no confidence that he's going to do all these great things. … Playing hard and playing smart are entirely two different things."

What would Sharpe prefer to see from Westbrook?

"I need him to do less," Sharpe said.