Since coming off the bench 17 times as a rookie back in 2008-09, Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook has started all 1,007 games in which he’s appeared.
That streak now appears to be in deep trouble. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are planning on bringing Westbrook off the bench for Friday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to bring guard Russell Westbrook off the bench vs. Minnesota tonight, allowing him to play more as the primary playmaker for the second unit,” Wojnarowski reported.
The ESPN insider went on to note that this plan could be complicated by the status of injury-plagued big man Anthony Davis who is dealing with a back issue. If AD can’t go, Westbrook might find himself in the starting five. Either way, it’s clear that first-year head coach Darvin Ham does not view Westbrook as an option in his initial five.
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Russell Westbrook drama with the Los Angeles Lakers could be heating up
There’s not one good bit of information coming from this organization at the early point in the 2022-23 NBA season. Los Angeles heads into Friday’s game against a vastly superior Timberwolves squad at 0-4 on the season. Westbrook himself has been a complete and utter disaster in the three games that he has played on the campaign.
Russell Westbrook stats (2022-23): 10.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 29% shooting, 8% 3-point
Looking at those numbers, Westbrook has been among the worst regular starters in the NBA through three games. He’s also seemingly uninterested in the Lakers’ on-court success as evidenced by a new report indicating that the high-priced former NBA MVP wants out of dodge.
At issue here is Westbrook’s bloated $47.06 million salary for the 2022-23 season and the fact that he’s received no real interest on the trade market. As for being relegated to bench duties, it’s something Westbrook himself has pushed back against in the recent past.
“I’ve been doing the same thing for 14 years straight. Honestly, I didn’t even know what to do pregame. Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose. … That’s something I just wasn’t accustomed to.”
Russell Westbrook on potential bench role leading up to the start of the regular season
We’re not 100% sure about what happens next. What we do know is that Russ has been a terrible fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the Lakers’ starting five. Moving him to the bench could potentially change this.
On the other hand, this could simply be all about Westbrook’s regressed skillset. He’s set to turn 34 years old in November and has not been anywhere near the same player since joining the Lakers ahead of the 2021-22 season.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers as a whole, they included Lonnie Walker IV, Patrick Beverley and Austin Reaves in the starting five with AD and King James in Wednesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. The three combined to shoot 10-of-23 from the field while finishing minus-59 in the Lakers’ most-recent on-court disaster.