Why Lakers Should Move Russell Westbrook to Bench Role amid Latest NBA Rumors
Only three teams in the NBA have yet to win a game during the 2022-23 season. Perhaps surprisingly, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of them, having gotten off to an 0-4 start.
It may be too early to panic, but it's not too early for changes. So it may be time for the Lakers to mix things up.
What could that entail, exactly? Possibly a move for Russell Westbrook from the starting lineup to a bench role.
Westbrook isn't playing well early in the season, and he also hasn't been healthy. The 33-year-old point guard played in Los Angeles' first three games, but he missed Wednesday's road matchup against the Denver Nuggets because of left hamstring soreness.
The Lakers announced Thursday that Westbrook is questionable for Friday's road contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But if he does play, he might not be on the court for the opening tipoff.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles moving Westbrook to the bench is "probably inevitable unless his performance changes." It may even happen for Friday's game, as ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported that he'd heard Westbrook will "probably come off the bench" in Minnesota if he's active.
In Los Angeles' season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 18, Westbrook didn't get off to a bad start. He scored 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and hauled in 11 rebounds, providing some optimism that he could have a bounce-back year in his second season with the Lakers.
Since then, Westbrook has not played nearly as well. He had two points and shot 0-for-11 from the field (including 0-for-6 on three-pointers) in an Oct. 20 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Then, he had 10 points on 4-for-15 shooting in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Could a move to the bench get Westbrook going a bit? It sure couldn't hurt to try, especially with Los Angeles needing some kind of spark to get past its slow start.
On Wednesday, Austin Reaves started in place of the injured Westbrook and had eight points while shooting 3-for-5 from the field. Reaves, a 24-year-old guard, may now stay in the starting lineup, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that could be the corresponding move if Westbrook is shifted to a bench role.
Westbrook doesn't have an extensive history of coming off the bench. In fact, he's done it only 17 times in 1,024 games over his 15-year NBA career. And none of those came last season, when he made 78 starts for the Lakers.
But if Westbrook stays motivated, it could work out well for Los Angeles. It could rely on LeBron James and Anthony Davis early in the game, then bring in Westbrook to provide a spark. And it may guarantee that the Lakers have one or two of their top scorers on the floor at all times.
Of course, if this doesn't work out, a trade may eventually be coming. Westbrook was featured in trade rumors all offseason, but nothing materialized. If Los Angeles' struggles continue, that may change.
The Lakers are hoping to win now with James in the late stages of his career. And if Westbrook can't make enough positive contributions, they will likely need to deal him and hope they can get a package in return that will set them up well for the remainder of the season.
