Lakers' Darvin Ham: Russell Westbrook 'Saved Our Ass a Bunch of Nights' Before Trade

Russell Westbrook never lived up to expectations with the Los Angeles Lakers, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a useful member of the Purple and Gold's rotation down the stretch.

During an appearance on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast with NBA insiders Marc Stein and Chris Haynes, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was asked about how he made the decision to start Westbrook off the bench during the 2022-23 campaign, and that led to him discussing the unnecessary amount of hate the point guard received during his L.A. tenure.

Ham said (17:20 mark):

"Shout out to Russ, man. He takes a lot of blame. Everybody seems to want to talk stuff about him. ... Some of the stuff he has to endure, and he's still a very, very highly capable basketball player. I appreciate him for just giving it a chance and complying with what I wanted to do and just to take a bullet for the team. Like I told him, it's not a demotion, bro, like OK we got you, [Anthony Davis] and [LeBron James] in the starting lineup. All you guys need the ball and most times you give it up and you going to go stand somewhere. Why not realign? Why not allow me to help you help us by realigning the rotation to where now you're coming off and you get to dominate, dictate and do everything. "

"People forget man, like he came in from that reserve role and we would put runners and shooters and rim-rollers and finishers around him. This time they were chanting MVP for Russ, and he saved our ass a bunch of nights where we started off flat and he came in and he pushed the tempo. He brought that energy and you look up and we've gone on a 12-2 or 10-0 run as soon as he stepped into the lineup off the bench, so shoutout to him."

The Lakers acquired Westbrook from the Wizards ahead of the 2021-22 season in a deal that sent Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington. The trade significantly shook up L.A.'s roster, and it's one that fans will likely continue to criticize into the distant future.

Westbrook had a decent 2021-22 season, but he still didn't play up to his standard. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 78 games (all starts) while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent from deep.

The two-time scoring champion followed that up by putting together arguably the worst season of his career in 2022-23, averaging 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 52 games (three starts) while shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from beyond the arc.

The Lakers eventually traded Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal that also included the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Jazz waived Westbrook and he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent.

While Westbrook's numbers in 21 regular-season games with the Clippers were similarly disappointing as he averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists, he proved his worth to the franchise during the 2023 postseason.

In five games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Phoenix Suns, Westbrook averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists while shooting 41.0 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from deep.

The Clippers rewarded Westbrook with a two-year deal worth nearly $8 million in free agency this summer, and they'll be hoping he's a good match alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who have struggled to stay healthy over the years.