When the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook last June, it was to position him next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the third member of a new Big 3. By all accounts, each member of the NBA’s newest wannabe superteam was thrilled with the resulting team-up — with the Lakers’ championship duo reportedly pushing for the transaction themselves.
But in sharp contrast to their collective vision of coasting through the regular season by dint of their collective superstardom, the Lakers’ trio scarcely appeared simultaneously, and when they did, they underwhelmed.