There were numerous times during these past few months when it seemed like Russell Westbrook’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers was coming to an end. Trade speculation was rampant, and it felt like it was only a matter of time before he was shipped out of town.
Ultimately, nothing happened and Westbrook was a starter when the 2022-23 season began. The results seemed to be just as ugly or perhaps even worse than last season and head coach Darvin Ham realized that he had to do something to turn things around. That something was bringing Westbrook off the bench and it has turned out to be a brilliant move so far.
The Proof That Russell Westbrook Is Better For The Lakers When He Comes Off The Bench
His first game off the bench saw the Lakers lose to the Timberwolves, but there were some promising signs in the way Russ played. He followed that up with probably the best game he has played in a while, as he helped the Lakers beat the Nuggets for their first win of the season. He received a lot of praise for his performance as he finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Lakers are also playing a lot better when he comes off the bench and the numbers prove it.
Lakers since Russ came off the bench:
+18 with Russ on the floor
-16 with Russ off the floor pic.twitter.com/hSKFmVjDxX
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 31, 2022
“Lakers since Russ came off the bench:
+18 with Russ on the floor
-16 with Russ off the floor”
While it isn’t too surprising that they are playing well with him in this new role, that -16 when he’s not on the court is quite interesting. The sample size is small for now though, but it would be interesting to see what that number is a few weeks down the line. The same applies to Russ as well, as we’ll see how well he plays as time goes by.
The Lakers will be hoping this isn’t a false dawn and that they have finally found a way to make things work with Westbrook. They did get some encouragement to make a move though, as Myles Turner came out and suggested they just should trade for him and Buddy Hield. It is the trade that everyone has been talking about for the Lakers but if Russ continues to play well in his new role, they might well decide against it as it would mean they wouldn’t have to give away those precious draft picks.
