When Russell Westbrook was traded in early February for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley, the first thought among fans of the Los Angeles Lakers was relief that Westbrook had been sent packing.
But very quickly, it became clear the Lakers had received outstanding value for the former league MVP.
In particular, Russell has played very well in his time in L.A. In 12 contests with the team, he’s averaging 18.5 points and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 47.9% overall and 40 percent from 3-point range. Even better, he’s committing just 2.3 turnovers a contest.
On Wednesday, he returned from a two-game absence, and he supplied the Purple and Gold with some of what was lacking in the team’s 118-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
In Wednesday’s rematch, Russell had 17 points on 7-of-12 overall shooting and 2-of-4 from downtown as the Lakers retaliated with a 121-110 victory.
He may not be a bona fide All-Star, but some advanced stats show he has had a major impact.
The Lakers are clearly better with Russell on the floor
Since being traded to the Lakers, Russell has missed eight games, first with a sprained ankle and then with hip soreness.
The Lakers went 5-3 in those games, but the advanced stats tell a different story of what has happened with and without Russell, whether he has been out due to injury or is simply resting on the bench.
According to NBA.com, when he has been on the court, the Lakers have had an offensive rating of 121.1 and a defensive rating of 107.2, which translates to a net rating of 13.9, which is by far the best of any player on the roster.
Without him, they have had a 108.6 offensive rating and a 111.5 defensive rating for a net rating of minus-2.9.
By comparison, this season Westbrook had a minus-1.0 net rating when he was on the court for the Lakers.
Even without the Lakers' two superstars, Russell has still shined
But an even better measure of Russell’s impact is what he has done without James or Anthony Davis alongside him.
According to Cleaning the Glass, such lineups have scored 124.5 points per possession while giving up 110.5 points per possession, resulting in a 14.0 net rating, which is in the 98th percentile.
Critics may say that these stats come from a limited sample space, and while there may be some truth to that claim, such stats show Russell, at least thus far, has been a very good fit for the Purple and Gold.
