Westbrook Moves Down the Block

Russell Westbrook has officially made his mark in Los Angeles after being traded from the Lakers to the Clippers. It was as if he stayed within the neighborhood and moved down the block. It fits perfectly for LA native Westbrook as this was his home before he made it bigtime.

Westbrook is from Long Beach, California and attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale. He pursued his basketball career at UCLA, where he helped the team reach the Final Four in both seasons he was on the team.

It wasn’t until 2021 when he found himself back in his hometown to play for the Lakers after he was acquired from the Wizards. Although the point guard has slowed down, he still is seen as a clutch player and has impressive career stats. Westbrook is in first place for NBA All-Time triple-doubles in a single season, first place for NBA All-Time triple-doubles in consecutive games, and first place for NBA All-Time 50-point triple-doubles in a single season. He is the only player in NBA history to win the scoring title, an MVP award, and average a triple-double in the same season. Westbrook is also one out of 26 players in NBA history to hit the 24,000-career points mark.

Throughout his career, Westbrook has hit milestones as well as stirred up controversy on and off the court. This may be a reason the Lakers decided to let him go despite his trademark status. It was planned for Westbrook to join Utah Jazz, but he ended up with the LA Clippers. Neighbor yet rival to his earlier team, the LA Lakers. This could be a sign that the 34-year-old is aiming to end his career in Los Angeles where the start of his basketball career began. Or the Clippers simply thought he would be a fantastic asset.

After the Clippers added Westbrook to not only their roster but to their starting five, they lost five games in a row. Coincidence or not, they recently broke the losing streak and are still in the running for the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have been moving up the list of playoff predictions since removing Westbrook from the roster. They recently improved their chances to continue into the postseason all while Lebron James is out with a foot injury and D’Angello Russell has missed recent games with an ankle injury. Laker star Anthony Davis has been upping his game since his teammates are on the bench and since Westbrook made a quick move down the street.

Davis has had an impressive past five games with at least 28 points in each game. He really came to play on March 3 when he earned 39 points in the 38 minutes he was on the court. Coach Darvin Ham said he is hopeful to see Russell back in the game soon, but the question is whether Davis will be able to lead the Lakers into the playoffs without James. His previous game play seems promising, but with no original triple threat of James, Davis, and Westbrook, time will have to tell.