Why Isaiah Thomas should start over Russell Westbrook for the Lakers

Los Angeles </a>Lakers have decided to bring in Isaiah Thomas to add depth to their roster. The team signed Thomas to a 10-day contract on December 17th <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/12/20/isaiah-thomas-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/12/17/22841651/lakers-approved-nba-hardship-exception-sign-isaiah-thomas-10-day-contract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">under the hardship exception</a>. The hardship exception stipulates that a team can sign an extra player if four players are out due to injuries or sickness.</p> <p>Los Angeles qualifies for this rule as they have three players in health and safety protocols in Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard, and Talen Horton-Tucker. They are also missing two players due to injury in Kendrick Nunn and Anthony Davis.</p> <h2>Could Isaiah Thomas be a better fit for the Lakers than Russell Westbrook?</h2> <p>Although Isaiah Thomas is joining the team under unfortunate circumstances, he possesses the skill set to make him a good fit for the Lakers. The Lakers ran an offensive system revolving around post-ups and pick and rolls before this season.</p> <p>The team had been top-five in post-up possessions, averaging nine per game. Before this season, Anthony Davis and LeBron James accounted for more than 82.2 percent of the team’s post-ups, as they combined to average over 7.4 per game.</p> <p>James has also played a pivotal role in the team’s pick and roll possessions as he led the team, averaging 6.25 possessions per game. James accounted for 37.5 percent of the team’s pick and roll possessions, as the team averaged 16.6 per game in the seasons before this campaign.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/12/20/isaiah-thomas-russell-westbrook-lakers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Russ and LeBron don't fit </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_438335" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-438335" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/12/20/isaiah-thomas-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1345212877.jpeg" alt="Los Angeles Lakers, Isaiah Thomas, Russell Westbrook" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1345212877.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1345212877-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">PHOENIX, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 06: Russell Westbrook #0 and LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers warm up on the court before the NBA preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on October 06, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Russell Westbrook and LeBron James don’t fit together</h2> <p>After last season, the team acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards. The thought behind acquiring Westbrook was to give the team an extra ball handler. However, the organization didn’t consider the ramifications that would come along with making that move.</p> <p>Westbrook is a player who needs to be close to the basket to be successful. Before this season, he shot over 60 percent in the restricted area on nearly eight shots per game.</p> <p>He averaged more than nine points per game in the restricted area – 35 percent of his total scoring output. However, Westbrook is also a player who struggles off the ball, shooting 30.6 percent from behind the arc on 3.7 attempts per game.</p> <p>Westbrook’s skillset created an issue for the team, as they typically like to have multiple players standing behind the arc when they are running post-ups and pick and rolls. For example, Marc Gasol and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took more than 50 percent of their shots from behind the arc last season, averaging 2.3 and 4.4 per game respectively.</p> <p>Therefore, opponents have been less likely to pay attention to him when they put Westbrook off the ball due to his three-point shooting struggles.</p> <p>95 percent of Russell Westbrook’s three-point attempts this season have been uncontested, averaging 3.8 open threes per game. Westbrook’s shooting issues have contributed to James spending more time off the ball.</p> <p>James is attempting a career-high 40.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc averaging 7.8 per game in 18 appearances. James accounts for 23 percent of the team’s three-point attempts.</p> <p>Unfortunately, James has been a below-average performer from behind the arc throughout his career. Before this session, James shot 34.5 percent on 4.4 attempts per game. James has slightly improved in the area shooting 35.7 percent on 7.8 shots. James would be significantly more effective as a ball handler.</p> <p>He has averaged 6.1 pick and roll possessions since 2015, shooting 46.5 percent on 4.6 attempts per game. James averages 5.9 points per game, 22.5 percent of the scoring output.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/12/20/isaiah-thomas-russell-westbrook-lakers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The case for Thomas </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_439713" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/12/20/isaiah-thomas-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/17377077.jpeg"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span>&nbsp;5 trade targets to help the Lakers </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">