Russell Westbrook coming off the bench has yielded good results, not just for the Los Angeles Lakers, but for the constantly under-fire point guard himself as well.
For the third time in a row, the 33-year-old came in as the sixth man and continued his string of impressive performances as the Lakers notched up their second win in a row, this time winning 120-117 against the New Orleans Pelicans in overtime.
For the master of triple-doubles, the move to not start, but come off the bench has lent more stability, and Westbrook has found some success marshaling the second unit.
Careerwise, he has been a champion in his own right averaging 22.8 points, 8.4 assists, and 7.4 rebounds in 1,027 regular-season games in his decorated 15-season run in the league.
Now, he’s found the spark that was deemed missing when he linked up with the Lakers averaging 13.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists so far this season. And much of this comes after his acceptance to come off the bench.
Since playing Sixth, Westbrook has 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists against Minnesota Timberwolves, but Los Angeles failed to close it out. He followed it up with another 18-point performance against the Denver Nuggets while also adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists — a game the Lakers won.
The improved outings continued against the Pelicans where he recorded 13 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds as to help the team make it two-in-two. Safe to say, Westbrook’s notable contributions almost seem like he’s back to being the older and more explosive version of himself.
Russell Westbrook Wants To “Keep Competing” After Lakers Win Over Pelicans
While he may have seen some success and shut down the trolls after his impressive performances, Westbrook was candid about what he intended to do over the course of the season.
Amid ongoing rumors of his trade, the former MVP chose to respond to what he felt was the only goal going forward and that was to just keep competing.
Speaking to the reporters after the win, he was asked what he would do to sustain the momentum, and he had one phrase lined up.
Russell Westbrook (13 pts, 7 rbs, 9 ast) just wants to keep "competing" after the Lakers defeat the Pelicans 120-117 in OT. pic.twitter.com/nTSuvIiuGl
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 3, 2022
“Just keep competing.”
He was further pressed for a more comprehensive answer when the question was followed up and he was asked what he would bring to the team when they were enduring a tough shooting night, to which the reply again was him “just competing,” while he poured over at the stat sheet.
In their bit to get more out of Westbrook, the next question was whether his competing streak revolved around the offense or defense which the media felt the Lakers authored in stretches and the reporter also added that he wanted to get more out of him.
“Nah, you’re trying to make it about you,” Westbrook smiled. “I don’t know, I know we keep competing, that’s what I’m doing, that’s all I can do.”
This comes after Westbrook believed that his coming off the bench was beneficial to the team. Ahead of the clash against the Pelicans, he opined that his job was to make things better for the team.
While he continues to have goals for himself, the team and the fandom will hope that his streak continues as the side looks to make the postseason this time around after a dismal 2021-22. All eyes will certainly be on Westbrook when the Lakers play the Utah Jazz on Friday (November 4) at home.
