Lakers News: Brian Windhurst remains pessimistic about the Lakers’ New Guard pairing

With the start of the new season still approaching, there is growing concern about the current Los Angeles Lakers guard rotation — particularly their limited three-point shooting ability.

Neither Russell Westbrook nor Patrick Beverly is known for their ability to light things up from the deep, and given the number of inside players in the Lakers tournament, the lack of shooting projects is an issue. Speaking on the September 7 episode of ESPN’S NBA TodayBrian Windhurst shares his concerns with a possible pairing between Westbrook and Beverley, and why he believes it is destined to fail.

“I don’t think the Lakers think this is going to work. I think they say that, and they try to keep a solid upper lip and get the most out of this because they know they don’t have any trade with Russell Westbrook that makes sense for them at the moment. So, they’re going to try to make it work.”

But let’s be honest, we live in an age where you have to shoot in the NBA. When the Lakers won the title two years ago, it was with a shot. All the great LeBron teams in his career have been paying off. You have Westbrook who is one of the worst three-point shooters in the NBA, and Patrick Beverly is coming off the worst three-point shooting year of his career…this duo doesn’t make any sense at the basketball level,” Windhurst said.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Lakers will be given a chance to improve their backcourt before the season begins, which means we’ll see exactly how the Westbrook and Beverley duo work against NBA-level defenses.

Westbrook and Beverley have a bad history

When the Lakers originally acquired Beverly via trade, Lakers fans began speculating about the future of their superhero, as there is a well-documented history between the duo – one shrouded in shadow and contention.

In his August 25 article, Zach Harper of Athletic He detailed the history between Westbrook and Beverley and wondered if the pairing would pay off for the Lakers due to their negative relationship.

“First of all, putting Beverly and Russell Westbrook on the same team is objectively funny. Westbrook and Beverly have a long history of hating each other. Do you know how much fire there has to be behind this hate to last for years and years, no matter what team you play on? in him and the team the other guy’s on, especially when you only run into each other a few times each season? Assuming Westbrook is still with the team at the start of the season, we’ll see some awkward interactions between these two on the field, and one’s work won’t align with the other,” Harper Books.

Of course, if Westbrook and Beverley both commit to making things work, there will likely be some tough conversations ahead, but there’s no reason they can’t bury the hatchet.

Beverly thinks the Lakers guard coupling can work well

Despite their frosty relationship, and the lack of an ocean record the duo would provide, Beverly believes his partnership with Westbrook could be a positive aspect in the Lakers’ rotation.

on september 6Beverly discussed his upcoming partnership with Westbrook during a media briefing and indicated that once they both endure some tough conversations, he’ll be excited to play alongside this fearsome rival.

“A player with that competitive spirit, that fire, that dog, that ugliness, that determination, to have a companion like that, I’ve never had before. So I’m really excited to see where it goes. It’s obvious like any relationship or any marriage, stuff, We’re going to have tough conversations. That’s what comes with winning, but I’m excited about those conversations, I’m excited about practices. I’m just excited to be able to compete with someone like that,” Beverly told the media when discussing his potential partnership with Westbrook.

While the Lakers roster is free to shoot at every location, it will be incredibly interesting to see how Darvin Ham approaches the rotation of his guards, especially if the primary pairing is already Westbrook and Beverley’s backcountry.