The Los Angeles Lakers are still struggling to make a dent in the Western Conference, sitting at 13th place with a 19-23 record.
That means that if the play-in tournament were to begin today, the Lakers would miss their chance of entering.
But one player has been remarkably consistent lately, especially when you consider how his season began.
Russell Westbrook over the last 5 games:
23.0 PPG
9.0 APG
7.6 RPG
1.6 SPG
46% FG
40% 3P pic.twitter.com/B1Eg1ZmlWj— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 13, 2023
Russell Westbrook has been doing incredible work for the team, most notably during the last five games.
He is averaging 23 points, 9 assists, and 7.6 rebounds a game.
He has also been securing 1.6 steals per match too, on a 46% field-goal percentage and 40% three-point percentage.
Westbrook started the season in a bad way and was producing very little, causing numerous fans to cry for him to be traded.
That trade never happened but he was soon adored by the fans as he turned his season around.
Once head coach Darvin Ham decided to make him a bench player, Westbrook bloomed in ways he hasn’t before and has become one of the strongest and most reliable bench guys in the league.
In fact, after 14 years in the NBA, he is now being talked about as a possible Sixth Man of the Year winner.
All of this has happened while the Lakers struggle, so there is still speculation that he could be traded away.
If he does get traded now, his value will be much higher than it was when the season began.
The Lakers could try to get an All-Star in return for him if they decide to go down that path.
Westbrook has become one of the most important parts of the Lakers line-up and few people expected that to be the case just a couple of months ago.
NEXT: Russell Westbrook Is Looking Like His Vintage Self