National Basketball Association

Russell Westbrook and the Lakers are proving to be a difficult fit so far

Updated Oct. 26, 2021 10:45 p.m. ET

Russell Westbrook has had a difficult time finding his footing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Granted, learning curves differ in their degrees, but Westbrook's woes seem to be more protracted than most. His skills, though, are undeniable.

Recently included on the NBA's Top 75 list, Westbrook has a résumé oozing with Hall of Fame accolades: He's the league's all-time leader in triple-doubles, a former MVP (2017) and a nine-time All-Star.

But never before has he suited up alongside two reigning All-Stars (James Harden did not become an All-Star until he left the OKC Thunder squad that included Westbrook and Kevin Durant).

Now that he is sharing the spotlight with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Westbrook's longtime starring role has been reduced to that of a tertiary cast member. And right now, the trio's numbers are plummeting at the box office.

The "Lake Show" is off to a 1-2 start, having collected its first win in 150 days with a close 121-118 triumph over Memphis that came only after Ja Morant missed the game-tying free throw with 2.5 seconds to play.

It wasn't a particularly impressive outing for Los Angeles, which struggled to contain Morant, who compiled 40 points and 10 assists.

Meanwhile, L.A.'s own point guard was up-and-down to say the least. Westbrook sputtered to a 13-point scoring night on 5-for-15 shooting. He doled out 13 assists and collected seven boards. He came away with four steals but relinquished nine turnovers, more than the rest of his team combined. No. 0 finished tops in usage rate through the affair.

The "Brodie" currently ranks second in the league in turnovers, at 5.7 per game. He's also shooting a lowly 34.9% from the field, including 9% from 3-point range. His free-throw rate is 41.7%. The Lakers have a minus-9 point differential while he's on the floor.

In terms of efficiency, those aren't numbers you want from the man you call your point guard.

Skip Bayless doesn't believe Westbrook deserves ownership of his team's primary ballhandling duties.

"This team is not going to survive and thrive unless LeBron has the ball in his hands," Bayless said Tuesday morning on "Undisputed." "He's still the best passer — I think he's still the best point guard in basketball. He's 6-[foot]-9, Magic Johnson-esque, can see over a defense and can hit spot-up shooters.

"It's almost like [LeBron's] dark side is Russell Westbrook. It's something out of a horror movie. It's got to be eating him up, but I can't go there because he signed off on this. Russ kept West-bricking shots and turning the ball over [against Memphis.] That's how Memphis stayed in the game. If LeBron does figure this out, it will be his crowning achievement."

Chris Broussard, though, views Westbrook's point guard label as little more than that.

"I don't think he's playing point guard," Broussard sad. "I think he's a PG in name only. They really have point guard by committee. More than half the time, LeBron brings it up, or somebody else initiates the offense."

In Broussard's mind, the Lakers' problem resides on the other side of the ball.

"Through the first three games, even though Russ is clearly getting adjusted to his role, the offense isn't the problem," he said. "Their defense has been atrocious. The last two years, they've been third and first in the league. Now they're 25th in defensive efficiency."

"[The Lakers are] averaging 113 points per game, 11th in the NBA," he continued. "Two years ago when they won the championship, they averaged 113 points per game, 11th in the NBA. And that's with Russ averaging 9% from 3. When he was with Houston and Washington, he got noticeably better in the second half [of the season]. But LeBron controlling the tempo keeps them in it. Right now, there are a lot of times it's not in his hands when it really should be."

Shannon Sharpe couldn't agree more.

"Do they let Russ have the ball?" Sharpe asked. "That doesn't equate to championships. They're about winning championships. They're not about stats. Somebody could have 1,500 triple-doubles. That's not what's important to the Lakers. Did you win?"

Sharpe used an everyday analogy to describe L.A.'s current situation.

"We've all bought something that we didn't need, then said, ‘I’ll figure it out once I get home,' and once you get home it's like, ‘why the hell did I buy that?' They didn't really need him. The other night, Bron turned it over a lot to Russ. Will he continue that? That's the dilemma: How do you maximize him without taking the ball out of his hands? We've seen him with the ball in his hands far longer than we've seen him without. Can he play and be efficient beside Bron and AD?"

Fitting Westbrook into the Lakers' puzzle has proven to be a more strenuous task than previously thought.

If L.A. is going to be successful, James, Davis and Westbrook will have to double down as both basketball players and on-call problem-solvers.

Check out the full "Undisputed" debate below!