The upcoming season will be very important for the Los Angeles Lakers and especially for Russell Westbrook if he finally stays. The Lakers fans are hopeful that with new head coach Darvin Ham things will change. They failed to qualify for the playoffs last season and had a very poor record. However NBA analyst and former champion Kendrick Perkins feels that Westbrook must be very careful about the new role that he gets at the Lakers.

Perkins believes that if Westbrook does not understand his new role under Ham things could go down south very quickly. Westbrook is known for his consistent triple doubles and his relentless shooting ability being a point guard. However with age the traits are declining. While some players decline gradually others decline at a higher rate than others. One such example was Allen Iverson who had a steep decline after enjoying a legendary NBA career.

Perkins believes that if Westbrook does not stick to his new role at Lakers he could have a decline similar to Iverson. During a recent ‘Get Up’ podcast the former NBA Champion shared how Darvin Ham could actually help the former Washington Wizards star but if he does not listen then his career will be in doubt.

“I believe Darvin Ham could put these guys in position, especially Russell Westbrook. Here is another thing about [him]. Russell Westbrook has to be very, very careful on how he approaches this season and how he finishes this season. [He] could go from being one the top-paid guys in the NBA to out of the NBA. He has to be careful.”

Perkins also pointed out how Westbrook’s stock is drying up as not many teams are ready to take an aging and declining point guard. He even shared the condition of the NBA team and felt that there aren’t many teams looking for him except the San Antonio Spurs. “Think about this for a second. I thought about the market with Russell Westbrook and the teams that could take a chance on him. Bring him in to be the Russell Westbrook that he thinks he is and give him the keys to the organization. There is only one team that came to mind: the San Antonio Spurs, a team that has low expectations,” Perkins added.

It is indeed true that Russell Westbrook’s career depends on his ability to work under head coach Darvin Ham. The way things are turning out this might be the last chance for Brodie in the NBA after which things may end up like how it ended for Allen Iverson.