In their final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench. The team favored starting a backcourt of Patrick Beverley and Austin Reaves over Westbrook. While the team still fell to a big loss, Darvin Ham has virtually confirmed Westbrook being moved to the Lakers bench by calling it a realignment and not a demotion.
If Westbrook starts opening night on the bench against the Golden State Warriors, it will be the first time he hasn’t started a game in the NBA in 1,004 games. This is the third-most consecutive starts currently in the NBA, behind LeBron James and Chris Paul.
Paul has never been benched in his entire career through each of his stops, but Westbrook is the league leader in starts since 2009, with James and CP3’s records stretching prior to Russ being drafted.
This is going to be a massive shift for Westbrook and his career, as he is going to have to accept the role of being the sixth man on a team that hopes to make a run to the playoffs.
Will Russell Westbrook Improve Off The Bench?
The one thing that had been clear to everyone since the Lakers decided to trade for Westbrook was his awkward fit alongside a starting lineup that features LeBron James. Both ‘Bron and Brodie are drive-heavy guards and not the best spot-up shooters, with one contracting the space on the court for the other.
Westbrook coming off the bench allows the Lakers to have 2 elite ball-handlers and playmakers in charge of setting the floor at all times. This strategy seems to be what Darvin Ham has in mind and it’ll be interesting to see how it works out, especially in late-game situations. Will Westbrook be a part of the lineup that closes out games? We will have to wait for the game against the Warriors later on tonight.
