Lakers' Patrick Beverley: 'Everything’s Great' With Westbrook After Huddle Video

Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley said his relationship with teammate Russell Westbrook is strong heading into the 2022-23 NBA season.

"Everything's great. I sit on the plane, he's right next to me," Beverley told reporters Thursday. "We get on the road, we hang out together."

His comments come after a video emerged during Wednesday night's preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves that appeared to show Westbrook refusing to join a Beverley-led team huddle. Beverley said he hadn't seen the footage.

Beverley and Westbrook developed a long history of on-court confrontations while on opposing teams over the past decade.

It raised questions about how their relationship would go as teammates after Beverley was acquired in a July trade and whether any potential friction could negatively impact the Lakers, who are coming off a playoff-less season.

Westbrook downplayed the situation at the start of training camp in September.

"I'm an easygoing guy. I don't hold grudges against anybody—life is too short," the nine-time All-Star said. "We've been blessed with too many opportunities and platforms to walk around and hold grudges. I just continue to move forward. Obviously, when I'm on the court, I don't have any friends other than that basketball and the people that's on my team, so I compete. Other than that, off the floor, I'm just a normal guy that likes to have fun."

Westbrook also spoke to reporters Thursday, saying he was having a conversation with the coaching staff that caused him to miss the Beverley huddle:

The pre-Lakers interactions between Beverley and Westbrook are likely causing Wednesday's video to get blown out of proportion. Those things happen on a nightly basis in the NBA and go unnoticed.

Questions remain about whether L.A. made enough roster adjustments during the offseason to bounce back from a 33-49 season. The type of blockbuster deal that was expected after it missed the playoffs never materialized, leading to a series of smaller depth moves.

In turn, there's a lot of pressure on Westbrook, who was the focus of trade rumors throughout the summer, to make his way back toward All-Star form after a forgettable first season with the Lakers.

L.A. is scheduled to tip off the regular season Oct. 18 when it visits the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, who are dealing with their own internal question marks after a practice altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole last week.