The Lakers surrendered almost every important role player from last year’s team for Russell Westbrook because the nine-time All-Star could ease a physical burden long felt by LeBron James, a 36-year-old control tower whose body has already sidelined him for half of his team’s games.
The risk was seen a mile away, and so far the degree to which L.A. turned over its roster has resulted in a rocky 6-5 start—with two losses coming against the Thunder—and the league’s 18th-best net rating. Westbrook’s fit with LeBron has looked predictably defective (just look at these splits), while his PER is below average for the very first time.