Russell Westbrook may be doing the basketball equivalent of seeing a witch doctor this offseason.
Video went viral this week of the much-maligned Los Angeles Lakers guard in the gym showing off what seemed to be a much different jump-shooting form. Westbrook’s form appeared to be a lot more compact, and his release point was lower and closer to his face.
Check out the video (originally posted to TikTok by trainer Chris Brickley).
Russ got a new jumpshot?? pic.twitter.com/rK1tL3nHIq
— HoodieBev (@HoodieBev) September 15, 2022
For comparison, here is what Westbrook’s form looked like on some of his more egregious misses last season. You can see that his release point was well above his head, and his overall form was generally less fluid.
Westbrook is probably willing to try anything at this point in order to fix his dilapidated jumper. While the former MVP has always been a below-average three-point shooter, he at least used to have a solid stop-and-pop midrange shot. But last year with the Lakers, Westbrook shot so poorly (44.4 percent overall) that some in the organization thought that something might be physically wrong with him.
Evidence is also mounting that Westbrook will play out next season on the Lakers roster. By now, it is in Westbrook’s best interest to focus on what he can control — namely, his own game.
