The Los Angeles Lakers made the biggest splash on draft day, assembling a new Big Three but it is the move they truly needed to make?

Another NBA draft is in the books, and of all the speculated “big deals” that had been rumored to go down before or on draft day, the most unexpected and improbable deal is, of course, the one to steal all the headlines.

While not official until next week, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a trade that will bring Russell Westbrook to L.A. and send Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Washington Wizards. The Lakers sent a first-round pick in this year’s draft as well. This one almost shut down the internet when announced on Thursday, just hours before the draft. 

For some, the mere thought of another “big three” in the league is enough to make one hurl their customary bagel and coffee breakfast in the morning. Others see the 2022 NBA Finals already being set if all parties involved can manage to be healthy when it matters. The Lakers along with the Brooklyn Nets are odds on favorites to meet in the finals next season. So, logically speaking you would think this move makes it even more of a lock that we’d get Lebron James vs Kevin Durant III for next year’s championship. 

Not so fast, buddy. With this Lakers team, you now have two players that have been the primary ball-handler on their teams for just about their entire careers. In James’ case, he’s been the primary ball-handler all his career, and for Westbrook, the one season he spent in Houston alongside James Harden is really the only time he even halfway relinquished those duties.

ONE SPOON, ONE BOWL, THREE MOUTHS TO FEED

On the surface, we have three stars, or more specifically two stars and one superstar creating a big three that doesn’t fit well. Despite the talent possessed by this trio. Two of the three are former MVPs of the league, and the third has MVP-level talent but cannot stay healthy long enough to be considered for the award. So, the talent is there, but this is a far different league than a decade ago when James decided he would be taking his talents down to South beach. 

That is the comparison that continues to be thrown around. James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. No, the “Heatles” weren’t exactly known for their three-point shooting prowess, like this new Lakers trio, but the NBA was so different just 10 years ago. Of course, teams were shooting the three in 2010 but not at the same rate as today. During that era of the NBA, we still had teams that preferred the mid-range and inside game to jacking up 57 three’s a night.

And 57 isn’t much of an exaggeration. The Utah Jazz led the league in three-point shots attempted this season with 43.1 per game. During the 2010-11 season, the Orlando Magic led the league in this category attempting 25.5 threes per game. The team with the least three-point attempts for the ’10-11 season was the Memphis Grizzlies with 11.4 per game. The San Antonio Spurs pulled up the rear this year attempting just 28.3 per game. That is still about 2.5 times more than what the Grizzlies averaged for the ’10-11 season. 

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HELP WANTED: LOOKING FOR SHOOTERS

So, using Lebron’s Heat teams in comparison to his newest big three is just not an accurate comparison or analogy to trot out as an argument. The Lakers just had to include their best three-point shooter from their finals run in the bubble in this trade for Westbrook. Dennis Shroeder is likely on his way out since he wants a big payday. This trio will need to be surrounded with shooters pronto. Free agency is just days away, so expect the Lakers to make a few deals to round up at least a decent supporting cast for their big three. 

Between Lebron and Russ, who is going to run the offense? Who plays off the ball? Neither guy is used to playing without the ball in their hands primarily nor wants to do so. James will do it sometimes by but ultimately his style is most potent when he is controlling the offense and making plays. Westbrook isn’t a shooter, and no one moves without the ball in the NBA anymore outside of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, so there’s another issue. 

If we can be honest for just a moment here, this has all the potential to be an absolute and certified disaster. It’s not like anyone is wishing disaster on the Lakers. Well, no one in L.A., at least. Talk about a chemistry experiment. The odds of this experiment blowing up in their faces before we ring in the new year are about as great as their odds of winning the title.

Whatever happens with the Lakers next season, one thing we know is this will surely be entertaining and have us all on the edge of our seats for every captivating second.