Westbrook ready to make Lakers better as he joins hometown team

After 13 NBA seasons, Russell Westbrook finally made it home Tuesday.

The nine-time All-Star fulfilled a childhood dream in joining the Los Angeles Lakers after a trade from the Washington Wizards.

The 32-year-old was born in nearby Long Beach and grew up a fan of the team, but admitted he was not sure he would get the chance.

“Being from LA, you always wish that you could play for your home team,” Westbrook said at his introductory news conference.

“That’s definitely something that always circled around in my mind. Maybe one day? But I always would come back and be like, ‘Ah, that probably won’t happen.’ I just had to wait and see.

"But now that we’re here, I’m going to take full advantage of it.”

Considering who he will be playing alongside, there's every reason to believe he will.

Russell Westbrook talks about playing alongside LeBron James and fitting in with the @Lakers. pic.twitter.com/KmRcPuSVaM

— NBA (@NBA) August 10, 2021

Westbrook joins LeBron James and Anthony Davis on a remade Lakers team that will also feature Carmelo Anthony – an impressive array of star power even for a franchise long associated with glamour.

After averaging a triple-double for the fourth time in five seasons, Westbrook knows he will not have to focus as much on scoring as he has in the past.

Likewise, his arrival will take some of the ball-handling and distribution load from James, ideally freeing him up on the offensive end.

"I'm coming to a championship-caliber team and my job is to make sure that I'm able to make his game easy for [James]," Westbrook said. "I'll find ways to do that throughout the game."

That philosophy does not stop with helping the already exalted James elevate his game, either.

Westbrook is already excited to get in the gym with a group of incoming veterans including Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore.

“The roster is great,” Westbrook said. “A bunch of guys that I’ve already known previously, which is even better.

"As I come into the season, I’m always looking at the roster and figuring out how I can make other guys better, simple as that.

"I want to be able to leave an impact on people when they either play with me or come across me, and I’ll find ways to do that with our roster. I’m really looking forward to getting together with all the guys and figuring it out.”