Lakers Slowly Getting Act Together Sans LeBron James, Westbrook Needs To Do More

Dennis Schroder #17 of the Los Angeles — The Lakers may be waiting to see if Dennis Schroder and Patrick Beverly can hold up the backcourt without Russell Westbrook. Alex Menendez/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

Dennis Schroder's contributions could be telling about the future of Russell Westbrook
The Lakers are thriving, but the real test will be against powerhouse teams, such as the Phoenix Suns
Westbrook needs to exert more effort and not console himself with playmaking

The Los Angeles Lakers are showing they can win even without LeBron James. Part of that is because of Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant, two names who previously watched on the sidelines.

Schroder accounted for only two points in his debut with the Lakers against the Detroit Pistons, while Bryant chipped in eight markers. Against the Spurs, the German guard improved his production to 13 points, while the latter had 15 points to go with nine rebounds.

Slowly but surely, both players are getting their groove back, giving Lakers coach Darvin Ham a huge sigh of relief.

Of course, critics feel that the Pistons and Spurs are teams that the Lakers could manage with their lineup sans James. But the biggest question is will the purple and gold be able to stand up to powerhouse teams such as Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.

Looking at their schedule, the big test for the Lakers would be on Tuesday, November 22, when they face the Phoenix Suns. James is likely to remain out, meaning Ham will need to pray that Anthony Davis gets ample support from the supporting cast.

One player who has thrived coming off the bench is Westbrook. But looking at his numbers, the 2017 NBA MVP seems to have focused on playmaking in the past games.

So far in 13 games, the 34-year-old guard has been averaging 15.8 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds. Against the Spurs, he only had 10 markers and 10 assists.

Although his name has surfaced in NBA trade rumors, nothing is set in stone. But if Schroder and Bryant manage to show they can hold up the fort for Ham, expect the clamor for a trade to get even louder.

For Westbrook, he appears more of a normal player thus far in games – something that hardly justifies his huge salary. Unless he can do more than what he is showing now, it may be hard for the nine-time

All-Star to get a new and lucrative deal once his current one expires. Staying with the Lakers is possible but likely on a huge discount unless he comes up with something spectacular if there are no takers before the NBA trade deadline.