On March 5, Beijing time, the Lakers lost 111-132 to the Clippers on the road on the previous game day, suffered four consecutive defeats after the All-Star Game, and were swept by the Clippers four times this season. Seeing the lakers' current competitive state, not to mention the championship, not to mention the playoffs, it is difficult to keep the playoff spot.
In the whole game, Wei Shao played 28 minutes and 55 seconds, shot 7 of 16, only got 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, the offensive end was exploded by Reggie, and there were 2 leg extensions on the defensive end that caused controversy, and in the post-game interview, Wei Shao said: "I don't have any expectations for this season." Given Westbrook's poor performances this season, coupled with the negativity he has shown many times in recent times. As a result, how to make Wei Shao play a role and help the team has not only become a problem for the Lakers, but also a hot topic for industry insiders to discuss.
Lakers reporter Bill Oram wrote an analysis of the current situation of the Lakers, he said: "Many league insiders believe that letting Westbrook serve as a substitute is one of the ways to solve the Lakers' problems on the court, but this method may bring great pain." Lakers coach Vogel said in an interview: "Although a lot of people are disappointed that we didn't get out of the predicament, the players are still working hard, and as for whether we will arrange for Wei Shao to play on the bench, I really don't want to talk about it, because I don't think we have reached that point." (According to previous interviews, Vogel said there had been discussions within the team about letting Westbrook play as a substitute.)
In addition, according to Jason Mclntyre, a well-known analyst in the NBA, when Westbrook's contract expires, I am not sure if he can still gain a foothold in the NBA, and his situation is a bit like Iverson in the late career.
The current situation is: Westbrook's salary this season is 44 million, 22-23 season is as high as 4700, and his average this season is only 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, shooting 43.3% from the field and 28.4% from three-point range. Wei Shao feels that he is still a superstar, so he is reluctant to give up the position of the core of the team, let alone let him play as a substitute, so the Lakers are now worried about letting Wei Shao play as a substitute to destroy the team's locker room environment, and more importantly, Vogel does not seem to have this courage.
Anyway, the Lakers may be like this this season, so that Wei Shao playing as a substitute is estimated to be difficult to achieve this season, even if it is realized, it will not form a practical help to the team, so I think the Lakers management and coaching staff should focus more on the offseason, after all, the current Lakers are bad enough, and they can't afford to toss again. (It's a fact that Lakers players and fans have clearly stopped trusting Westbrook.)