Russell Westbrook has been one of the biggest talking points in the NBA ever since he came to the Lakers and he remains in the headlines for one reason or another. The latest big news on Russ came toward the end of the preseason when new head coach Darvin Ham made the decision to have him come off the bench against the Kings.
Ham explained the decision by saying they just wanted to see how it would work, as the move would allow Westbrook to have the ball in his hands more often, as he wouldn’t be playing as many minutes with LeBron James. They weren’t really able to see just how well it would work though, as Russ got injured during the game.
Russell Westbrook Believes He Got Injured Because He Came Off The Bench Against the Sacramento Kings
Westbrook suffered a hamstring injury toward the end of the first quarter and there were some concerns he might miss some time, but that wasn’t the case. Westbrook was back on the court and back in the starting lineup for opening night against the Warriors and after the game, he was asked if the change in his routine due to the benching had something to do with his injury.
Asked by @DanWoikeSports whether he thinks that coming off the bench and breaking from his normal routine could have influenced his hamstring injury in Sacramento, Russell Westbrook said “absolutely,” and said he wasn’t sure how to stay warm once the game started: pic.twitter.com/L4oYmp8D73
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 19, 2022
“Absolutely, 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 try to stay warm and loose. And for me, obviously, the way I play the game, fast-paced, quick, stop-and-go, and I just happened to put myself in. I felt something, didn’t know what it was but wasn’t going to risk it in a preseason game. But definitely wasn’t something I was used to, wasn’t warm enough. And that’s something I wasn’t accustomed to.”
While some may completely dismiss Westbrook’s reasoning here, it is a different process altogether for him and a change in the routine can cause some issues. It was minor though and as he said, they just didn’t want to take a risk for a preseason game.
Unfortunately, Westbrook’s return wasn’t enough for the Lakers to get the win on opening night, as the Warriors steamrolled them in the 3rd quarter to eventually win 123-109. Their fans were not happy with the team’s disappointing performance and it isn’t going to get much easier for them, as they have got the Clippers next.
