Getty Images Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Russell Westbrook’s debut off the bench with the Los Angeles Lakers did not last long.
Westbrook played just 5 minutes in the Lakers’ preseason finale before heading straight off the court and to the locker room without much explanation. It was later revealed that Westbrook suffered a hamstring injury, although the severity is uncertain.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said that the injury would need to be further evaluated before making conclusions, but considering it was a preseason game, the Lakers were going to play it safe even if it was minor.
“He told me he thought he’d be fine. But we will reevaluate him in the morning,” Ham said after the game.
Westbrook notched just one assist in the limited time before heading to the locker room.
“It’s a very small sample size but he made some great reads,” Ham said of Westbrook’s play off the bench. “Again, by the time we were able to get into any kind of real groove of the game he had to come out. It is what it is. Injuries are a huge part of our business and major sports in general and you just have to navigate it the best you can.”
Not everyone was convinced that Westbrook was actually injured, including one of his most prominent critics, Skip Bayless.
“Weird Westbrook development: On the night he was reportedly demoted to the second team, he exited the game with what the team said is a hamstring injury,” Bayless said. “Though it was unclear when he hurt it. Hmmm. And so it begins.”
Lakers Says Bench Role Not Demotion for Westbrook
The idea of Westbrook coming off the bench has been floated for quite some time, although it never came to fruition during a 33-49 campaign a year ago. He was benched down the stretch of some winnable games last season but started all 78 contests he played in.
The Lakers ran out their sixth different starting lineup in six preseason games on Friday during the 133-86 loss to the Kings. It was the first with Westbrook coming off the bench and Ham made it very clear that they don’t see it as a slight to the former MVP.
“It’s not a demotion, it’s a realignment,” Ham said in his pre-game presser. ”He totally understood, totally looked me in the eye and said, ‘Yeah coach whatever you need me to do.’ And yeah, you can’t take that for granted. A player of his stature to be willing to try something different, something he’s unaccustomed to. I mean, he started a bunch of games in this league and performed at the highest level in this league, hell, even being an MVP.”
Westbrook has said previously that’d he would be open to anything if it’s helping the Lakers win.
“I’m all-in on whatever it takes for this team to win,” Westbrook said. “I’m prepared for whatever comes my way.”
Ham did mention that he hasn’t made any firm decision on what the starting lineup will look like and Westbrook could still end up with the first unit.
“The door is not closed on Russ starting, and the door is not closed if this works for us,” Ham said.
Russell Westbrook Could Still be Traded
Beyond his role in the rotation, Westbrook’s future in purple and gold is still up for discussion. It was reported on Friday by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Lakers are expected to reignite trade talks after taking a pause for training camp.
“The Lakers at some point here will start engaging teams again on possible Russell Westbrook trades,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Today. “They paused it essentially at the start of training camp. It gets a little quiet here with teams putting their rosters together, making their cuts and then seeing what it looks like.”
The Lakers have two first-round picks to work with as they negotiate trades. They’re looking for a team that would be willing to take on Westbrook’s $47 million salary while also bringing back pieces that can optimize the roster around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.