Lakers News: NBA Pundit Predicts Russell Westbrook Wins Major Award This Season

He's had a breakout season in his new role with LA.

Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook is enjoying a much better second year in Los Angeles.

Last year, Westbrook struggled to fit in next to superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Then, he spent an entire offseason as the center of trade rumors, and a whole lot of drama.

But new head coach Darvin Ham made the decision early in the season to move Westbrook to an off-the-bench role, and that has changed everything.

Westbrook has looked a lot like his old self in this role, playing with much more confidence and bringing the energy that made him so dominant over the first 10 years of his career. The high-level of play he's demonstrated has thrust his name into the conversation for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, and the guys at Bleacher Report see him running away with it this season.

"The Russell Westbrook journey in Los Angeles with the Lakers has been tumultuous, but coach Darvin Ham has found the best role for him off the bench," Eric Pincus wrote. "The sacrifice wasn’t easy for a former NBA Most Valuable Player, but Westbrook has willingly accepted his role. He’s playing a career-low 28.1 minutes while contributing 14.5 points, 7.6 assists and 6.2 rebounds a game. The Lakers may not win enough to make the postseason, but Westbrook should run away with the award."

Westbrook is averaging 14.5 points, 7.6 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. The turnovers are still high, and he's struggled shooting at times. But he looked much better for a good stretch of games than he did early in the season, and has provided the spark off the bench that the Lakers have been missing.

The Lakers will need a lot more from Westbrook over the next month or so, as they await a return from Davis. If Westbrook and Lebron can keep the team afloat, they'll have a chance to sneak into the playoffs, or at least the play-in tournament at the end of the season.