Lakers’ Russell Westbrook: ‘I know I’m a good shooter’

Russell Westbrook has never lacked for confidence.

This season, new Lakers coach Darvin Ham is asking Westbrook to do things he didn’t or wouldn’t last season — play hard on defense, set screens, be a distributor on the break, and stand in the corner and shoot 3-pointers.

Westbrook’s shot was one of the issues last season as he shot 29.8% from 3 and struggled outside the restricted area (and took two-thirds of his shots from the outside). However, he was good in the corners — 43.8% on corner 3s last season — and he is confident in his shot and ability to knock them down, as he told Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register.

“I know I’m a good shooter, and I’m very confident in myself and my ability to shoot the basketball,” he said. “Just continue working on my craft as I always have, and take good shots. The quality of shots is important. Making sure I’m not taking the bad ones is something I try to emphasize, attacking the basket.”

Westbrook said his shooting form has not changed, he’s just worked on “timing and patience.” What is different is Ham’s pick-and-roll heavy system.

“Definitely different – just the ability to be able to get in the open floor, attack with space, take my time,” he said after Saturday’s Lakers practice. “Miss or make, shots will come as the season prolongs. But just get in that rhythm and know that I can get to any spot that I want to and get in-rhythm shots for sure, so far.”

At points in his career, he has done everything Ham and the Lakers are asking of him now. He’s never been an elite shooter, but he’s been better than the inconsistent shooter of recent years. Westbrook has largely been a volume scorer. The Lakers don’t need that — LeBron James and Anthony Davis are far more efficient at putting up points. Ham needs Westbrook to play with and off that duo.

Westbrook’s effort, energy, and willingness to play a role have reportedly looked good in practice. Things have looked better in preseason games, but that’s just the preseason. What happens when the Lakers start the season against title contenders the Warriors and Clippers? What happens when adversity strikes?

The real tests are to come for Westbrook, and how he answers will go a long way toward deciding how this Lakers season goes.