Still winless on the season, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to break their spell tonight with a win over the Denver Nuggets. Even at home, it will not be an easy victory for the Lakers, who will face a Denver team coming off two impressive wins over the Lakers (in Denver) and the Jazz.
So, with a must-win scenario just a few hours out, what is the plan for the Lakers heading into tonight’s game? Apparently, another round of Westbrook on the bench.
According to the Lakers coach himself, Westbrook is set to come off the bench for the second straight game.
Darvin Ham says Russell Westbrook will come off the bench again tonight.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 30, 2022
A Bench Role For Westbrook Could Be The Solution For The Lakers
The Lakers lost on Friday (Russ’ first game off the bench), but the star point guard actually looked pretty good commanding the second unit, dropping 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. It was probably the happiest Lakers fans have been all season so far.
The bottom line is, Westbrook will have to adjust and sacrifice his game if the Lakers are to win, and he (at least verbally) seems on board with that.
Speaking to the media post the defeat, Westbrook was trademark candid when he said his sacrifices weren’t helping and that was difficult while adding a small pinch of optimism.
“From Day 1, like I mentioned, I’ve said (I’m a) guy who’s willing to do whatever for the team,” Russ said. “I’ve sacrificed whatever it is that need to be sacrificed. Parts of the game that I’ve done for years to accommodate whatever it is that the coach needs me to do. And I’ll continue doing that. Hell yea. Coming off last season. Sacrificing. OK. Sacrificing more, and you’re still losing. It’s difficult. Especially playing, and doing things I know I can be able to help out our guys. And I’ll continue to do whatever is asked of me. We’ll figure it out and get on the board.”
The good news for the Lakers is that it really can’t get much worse than this. With zero wins, countless flaws, and no signs of a turnaround, there is really nowhere else to go but up.
Tonight, the Lakers are hoping to slow the bleeding with a victory, but even that won’t be enough to convince anyone they are ready to compete.
