The Los Angeles Lakers reinvented the roster by trading Russell Westbrook at the trade deadline. In return, Los Angeles brought in Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and reunited with former second-overall pick, D’Angelo Russell.
While Russell was always a better fit than Westbrook, there were certain aspects of his game that fans should have been worried about. His poor defense, tendency to make bad decisions, and habit of going into hero-ball mode on offense can lose a playoff game (and thus a series) for his team.
And that is exactly what has happened so far in the Western Conference Finals.