National Basketball Association

NBA debate: What to do with Russ, and what's wrong with Nets, Lakers and Sixers

Updated Mar. 3, 2023 10:59 a.m. ET

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We're just under two weeks into the 2022-23 NBA season and there have already been a handful of surprises, from the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers starting 1-4 to the Los Angeles Lakers' winless start.

Our panel of NBA reporters — Ric Bucher, Melissa Rohlin and Yaron Weitzman — evaluates what they saw this past week and what we can expect next.

1. What should the Lakers do with Russell Westbrook if they can't find a trade for him soon? 

Bucher: Bring him off the bench and make him the leader of the second unit. More important, make it clear to everyone: Russ isn't why we're losing. A case could be made that Patrick Beverley is contributing less than Russ. LeBron is a far bigger turnover machine than Russ and has a far worse assist to turnover ratio (1.6 to Westbrook's 2.5).  

LeBron James makes cryptic Instagram post after Lakers 0-4 start

Shannon Sharpe reacts to LeBron's cryptic post.

Rohlin: How could there be a trade soon? He couldn't be worse offensively right now, considering he's shooting 28.9% from the field and 0.83%(!!!) from beyond the arc, far below his career averages of 43.8% from the field and 30.4% from beyond the 3-point line.

Right now, the Lakers just need to be patient and hope he increases his market value. Eventually, the law of averages should kick in and he'll start making some shots. That's the only chance they have of dealing him. Until then, the Lakers need to keep encouraging him to play good defense (which has been his lone bright spot), bench him during crunch time of close games and hope that he gets out of his slump soon. 

Bucher: The only reason anyone is taking Russ is for his expiring contract and whatever picks the Lakers are willing to give up. The Lakers should not be giving up picks, they should be making trades to get more, including some way, somehow, one for this year's draft. Which means it's time to start thinking about trading Anthony Davis.

Weitzman: What should the Lakers do with Russ? They shouldn't have traded for him in the first place, then they shouldn't have pretended that bringing him back this year was a viable option and that everything would be cool. Step 1: Bring him off the bench! Let him run point on some second-units when LeBron is off the floor. If he has a problem with that, then do the "we've agreed to separate" things. It's not like it hurts his trade value; it can't be any lower, and anyone trading for him will be doing so for the expiring contract and picks, not because they're interested in adding Russell Westbrook to their team. 

2. Which team is most likely to sustain its hot start?

Rohlin: I'm going to go with Memphis here. Ja Morant has been playing MVP-caliber basketball. He's averaging the second-most points (35.3) in the league right now, trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo (36 points). The Grizzlies are young, deep and hungry. Let's not forget that last season without Morant, the Grizzlies were 20-5. Now, with him playing at this level — alongside his scrappy teammate — the Grizzlies could really rise to the top of the league. 

Bucher: It all depends on what we're calling a hot start. The Raptors have opened with a tough five-game schedule — Cavs, Nets, Heat twice in Miami and Sixers – came out of it with a 3-2 record and the two losses going down to the wire. I'd say that's a hot start and I don't think it's a mirage. 

Weitzman: I was going to say the Blazers until Dame got hurt, though they still might be my answer given how bouncy, athletic and dynamic the retooled roster looks. But let's see what happens over these next two weeks. So instead, I'll say the 3-1 New Orleans Pelicans.

The offense, which ranks second in the league in efficiency, is for real. You know about Zion and Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, but this team is deep (Trey Murphy is a legit sniper), too, and Jonas Valanciunas is a beast on the boards. Right now they rank 16th in defense. If they can sneak up a few spots and get close to 10th, then I think this is a team that could contend for a conference finals slot.  

3. Which team is more likely to break out of their early-season slump: the Lakers, Nets or Sixers?

Rohlin: It's unreal that the Lakers are 0-4 and both the Nets and 76ers are 1-4. That's just bad for the league. I'm betting that the first team that'll turn things around will be the Nets. They're last in the league in defensive rating (120.2). When it clicks for them that they need to pour far more effort into that side of the court, things should start to turn around for them, regardless of whether Ben Simmons pulls himself out of his slump.

Bucher: I'll go Sixers, although I really want to answer: none. I'm giving the Sixers a chance because at least they have everything they need, talent-wise, to compete. The Lakers don't have shooting or athleticism or depth; the Nets don't have size or rim protection or, seemingly, a whole lotta "want-to."

Weitzman: I'm going with Sixers, but more by default here. The Lakers stink and are cooked. The Nets have structural issues in that they have no size or defenders and Ben Simmons does not look like the answer there.

The Sixers, at least, can fix some of their issues by just giving effort, specifically in transition defense. Want to hear a ridiculous stat, courtesy of Cleaning the Glass? They're currently giving up 9.3 transition points per 100 possessions every game, which is the most in the league. But not only is it the most in the league — the difference between them, and the second-worst transition defense (the Blazers, giving up 6.8 points per 100 possessions), is the same as between the Blazers and the 20th-ranked Utah Jazz.

The good news for the Sixers is that this should be an easy thing to clean up. The bad news is that there's no reason a team with championship expectations should be coming out of the gate with this sort of glaring problem.

4. Who can derail Christian Wood's Sixth Man of the Year campaign?

Rohlin: Jordan Poole. The 23-year-old just agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract extension with Golden State. He's expected to play elite basketball and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a breakout season.

Bucher: Jason Kidd, by putting him in the starting lineup. Wood's production per minute is wild right now. If he keeps it up, I don't see anybody beating him. If he tails off, certainly Poole will be in the hunt; I'd say he already had a breakout season last year but the silly part is he does still have room to improve — especially if he decides a defensive stance is not something to be avoided at all costs — and that could certainly push him past Wood. Two others to keep an eye on: Malcolm Brogdon and Cam Reddish. All Reddish needs are more minutes; of course, there's no guarantee Thibs will give them.

Weitzman: The answer is Christian Wood. He's been great, but he's never been a good defender, and we're already seeing some of those issues in Dallas; the team is giving up 2.2 more points per 100 (non garbage time) possessions when he plays than when he sits, according to Cleaning the Glass. They are outsourcing opponents by nearly 28 points per 100 possessions in his minutes, because of how dynamic he's been on offense, but the defensive side of things is worth keeping an eye on as the season goes, especially given how much value we know Jason Kidd puts on that side of the ball.

5. What are you most looking forward to in this weekend's games? 

Rohlin: I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with New Orleans vs. Phoenix on Friday. Both teams are 3-1 and have chips on their shoulders. Devin Booker has been on a tear recently, averaging 32.5 points, including leading his team to a 29-point win over Golden State on Tuesday. Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson (posterior hip and low back contusion) is listed as questionable for Friday, but if he plays, this should be a game to circle on the calendar. 

Bucher: Cavs-Celtics on Friday — lack of size is clearly a weak spot for the Cs without Robert Williams. Is Evan Mobley ready to tilt the scales? Everybody can take Saturday off, because it appears the schedule-maker did.

Sunday, Pelicans-Clippers and Knicks-Cavs. Are the Clips in we-only-get-up-for-good-teams mode or were the back-to-back losses to the Thunder an indicator that they are not the juggernaut everyone thinks they are? And don't look now, but the Knicks actually might — dare I say it — be worth watching this season. They're 3-1, but their wins are over Detroit, Orlando and Charlotte. Let's see what happens when they play a legit playoff-caliber team (I have them losing to the Bucks Friday night).

Weitzman: Whether the Sixers can turn things around, starting Friday with the second-leg of their two-game series against the Raptors. How the 3-1 (!) New York Knicks look against the Milwaukee Bucks, their first tough matchup of the season (that game is Friday night, too).

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds." He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of "Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports." Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

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