Lakers' Russell Westbrook the Favorite in Vegas to Lead League in This Category
By Peter Dewey
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar duo has become a superstar trio.
Los Angeles made a major trade prior to the 2021 NBA Draft to bring Russell Westbrook in from the Washington Wizards to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
While the Lakers did trade a lot of depth in the deal, they have another star that can handle the load if James is out of the lineup like he was last season.
The Washington Wizards have agreed to trade Russell Westbrook, 2024 second-round pick, 2028 second-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and No. 22 tonight, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 30, 2021
WynnBET is predicting that Westbrook will thrive with his new team, as it has set him as the +100 favorite to lead the league in assists per game next season. The next closest players to Westbrook on the odds list are James Harden (+145) and Trae Young (+500).
Westbrook has absolutely owned the NBA’s assist category over the past four seasons, as he’s led the league three of the last four years.
The one year he didn’t, he was teammates with Harden in Houston and didn’t have the ball in his hands as much as a creator.
That could be the case James when James and Westbrook team up in the 2021-22 season, as James led the league in assists in the 2019-20 campaign when Westbrook was in Houston.
However, having James and Davis as recipients to his passes clearly gives Westbrook an edge compared to the supporting cast (minus Bradley Beal) that he had in Washington last season.
For bettors looking to bet on Westbrook, the +100 odds may not be enough of a value at the moment to pick him to lead the NBA in assists. However, if he stays around that number through the first few games of the 2021-22 season and he and James are showing solid chemistry, don’t be surprised if he leads the league again.
Get in on the action with the WynnBET app.