Lakers Have Change of Heart on Russell Westbrook

The Los Angeles Lakers might be considering a change to their starting five, one which would see Westbrook move to the bench and become the team’s de facto sixth man.

According to an October 14 report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles will trial Westbrook in a bench role for their final pre-season game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, October 14.

“ESPN reporting with @Mcten: The Lakers are planning to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench in the final preseason game vs. Kings tonight (ESPN, 10 ET). Darvin Ham and Westbrook have been exploring the possibility of Westbrook quarterbacking the second unit and they’ll try it tonight,” Wojnarowski tweeted.

Westbrook has struggled throughout pre-season, culminating in a head-scratching performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 12, where the superstar guard provided his team with just five points, four assists, and three rebounds on 33.3% shooting.

The notion of moving Westbrook to the bench makes sense, as Los Angeles can ask him to run their offense in a way that suits his skill set – by grabbing rebounds and sprinting the floor to create havoc on the defensive end, and could be the move which finally gives the Lakers the best version of the 33-year-old star.

Westbrook is Trying to Compete

It can’t be easy. Westbrook is clearly a ball-dominant guard who requires a high offensive usage rate to be effective, yet, the Lakers are short of floor spacers, and all of their star players are at their best when pressuring the rim.

As such, Westbrook is being asked to play in an off-ball role – something which is counterintuitive to a former MVP who has made a living by rampaging up the court after securing a rebound. Still, following an October 13 team practice session, Westbrook told reporters that his primary focus is to help the Lakers compete for a championship and that he’s doing the best he can to help facilitate that.

“Honestly I’m just trying to compete and do my job. Everything, videos, get nitpicked. You can cut any video and make anything you want out of it. It’s not up to me to be able to judge that. I know I’m a genuine team player. I’ve never had a problem being with my teammates, so I’m going to continue doing what I’ve been doing,” Westbrook said. 

Westbrook Has Been Warned to Accept Bench Role

On June 3, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix appeared as a guest on the Dan Patrick show and urged Westbrook to consider embracing a bench role – with the prominent analyst stating that it could be the best way to save the superstar’s post-Lakers career.

“If Darvin Ham is being told unequivocally that Russell Westbrook will be part of this team. To me, his first order of business is sitting down with Russell Westbrook and saying, ‘Russ, you can extend your career by five years if you become a sixth man.’ Look at some of the guys that have done it, the Jamal Crawford, the players of that ilk…If he doesn’t become a sixth man or become more of a role player?

His career ends after this season, simple as that. Nobody’s going to sign him to be a starter in this league. But if he’s willing to make that transition, he’s willing to make that turn. He could have a five, or six-year career cause he could still play well against second-unit type of guys,” Mannix said on a recent episode of the Dan Patrick Show.

Right now, the Lakers are simply exploring different avenues to create the right mix of talent, both in their starting five and from the bench – but, if Westbrook suddenly finds a new gear, and manages to dominate proceedings as the team’s sixth man, Darvin Ham would be wise to stick with it, and hopefully, he can convince the California native to buy-in to his new role.