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NBA

Shaq on Russell Westbrook: 'He's a role player'

The NBA is back which means it’s time for overreactions

By Nick Geddes OutKick
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The NBA is back which means it’s time for overreactions. No seriously, Russell Westbrook’s flat debut with the Lakers has one Hall of Famer calling him a role player.

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Oct 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA;  Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center. The Warriors won 111-99.

Oct 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA;  Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center. The Warriors won 111-99. (Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)

That would be Shaquille O’Neal, who thinks Westbrook is no longer a star in the league. Westbrook, 32, was acquired via trade from Washington in July, after averaging a triple-double for the fourth time in his career.

"I see Russ as a role player, a damned good one, but he’s a role player," said O’Neal, on NBA on TNT on Thursday. "It’s LeBron first, AD second and then Russ."

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook poses for a photo with his jersey at an introductory NBA basketball news conference in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook poses for a photo with his jersey at an introductory NBA basketball news conference in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

While Westbrook did not play well on Tuesday and he’d admit that himself, to call the 2016-2017 MVP a role player seems far-fetched. The eight points on 4-of-13 shooting was not up to snuff but implementing a ball-dominant guard alongside stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis will take time, as expected.

We have precedence that it will take the "Big Three" time to get adjusted, as all the other ones that we’ve seen. The Miami Heat did not throttle teams in 2010 when James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined forces in South Beach. They started the season 9-8, with the entire media declaring the experiment as a failure.

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February 15, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NBA great Shaquille O'Neal during NBA All Star Saturday Night at United Center. 

February 15, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NBA great Shaquille O'Neal during NBA All Star Saturday Night at United Center.  (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

But that team was too talented to fail, as was evident when they embarked on a 12-game winning streak in December and were in the NBA Finals at the end of the season. The Lakers, just like the Celtics, Heat and Warriors before them, have too much talent to not figure it out. James has always figured it out and we should expect to see Westbrook find his niche in the offense as the season goes on. Not as a role player, but as a do-it-all contributor in the starting lineup.