It has been a rough season for the Los Angeles Lakers so far. After starting the season 0-5, they finally broke their spell on Sunday with a win over the Denver Nuggets.
To the shock of many, Russell Westbrook was the star of the show, pouring in 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists on 50% shooting.
It was the first time that Westbrook looked comfortable on the floor as a Laker and just the second time he came off the bench for the squad after starting for the first few games and all of last season.
With a game against the Pelicans tonight, many fans are excited to see if Russ will be able to maintain his good play. Fortunately, his words ahead of Wednesday’s match should be considered a good sign of the Lakers’ chances of turning things around.
“I’m in the right position to be able to help my teammates and make them better,” said Westbrook. “It’s been benefitial for everybody in my opinion and my job is to find ways to keep making my team better, whatever is needed that night whether it’s assisting, scoring, rebounding, or defending. I’m a person that prides myself on doing everything each and every night and I wanna be able to have that trickle-down effect on the guys I’m on the floor with.”
Russ embracing the bench role! Lakers really bout to win it all 😭 pic.twitter.com/daH7yI3F08
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 2, 2022
Lakers Fans Are Hopeful Again After First Win Of The Season
Of course, it remains to be seen if the Lakers have turned a corner, or if they just got lucky against the Nuggets. Either way, there is definitely a different feeling about this Lakers team.
To start the season, they looked slow and lethargic. In the pre-season, Westbrook seemed checked out and even blamed an injury on coming off the bench.
“Absolutely, I’ve been doing the same thing for 14 years straight. Honestly, I didn’t even know what to do pregame,” said Russ on October 19th. “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.”
No doubt, the success of Sunday’s game plan stopped the bleeding for L.A. It also gave Westbrook and the Lakers some confidence heading into this new stretch of their schedule.
At 1-5 on the season so far, there is an uphill battle ahead for Russ and his team if they want to be competitive in the West this year. But with Russ playing like himself again (and possibly saving his career), there is a reason to believe in this team and what they can do over the next few weeks and months.
