Stephen A. Smith Says If Russell Westbrook Remains A Laker, He Won't Ever Be Bad As He Was Last Season

The whole summer has been full of rumors about Russell Westbrook's departure from the Los Angeles Lakers. After the former NBA MVP failed to impress fans and the organization last season, it seemed like almost a done deal that he would be traded from the team.

However, even after the Lakers did everything in their power to trade the 33-year-old, they just couldn't find a team that was willing to take a risk with Russell Westbrook. At the end of the day, now most people believe that Russ will be starting the 2022-23 NBA season as a part of the organization.

Now the biggest question about his future with the team is whether he will be able to make the required adjustments to his game or not. If he wants to add value to the team, he needs to accept the fact that he may no longer be a starter in the NBA.

Stephen A. Smith Believes In Russell Westbrook

Stephen A. Smith is one of the well-known analysts out there. The biggest reason for people listening to him is the fact that, more often than not, he is impartial with his takes.

Ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season, the veteran analyst is back with another take. He believes that if Westbrook remains a part of the Lakers for the upcoming season, there's no way he will be as bad as he was in the last season.

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"I definitely believe that if Russell Westbrook ends up staying in Los Angeles, as opposed to say, somewhere like Indiana for Myles Turner or Buddy Hield, a couple of picks, which to me is still possible. I know they haven’t offered it, or anything like that, but if that offer comes down the pike, I think you’ll see the Lakers take that offer. If that doesn’t happen and he ends up staying a Los Angeles Laker, I definitely believe this season will be better than the last. I don’t believe that Russell Westbrook will ever be this bad again."

It's good to see that Stephen A. Smith is optimistic about Russ not having another bad year. In fact, he's not the only person who believes in Westbrook. LeBron James also showed full trust in Brodie and trusts him to have a comeback season.

Let's hope that Westbrook can live up to Smith and James' expectations. If he can make a few adjustments to his game, there's no way that he won't improve and help the Lakers make a comeback season.