On Friday in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final preseason game, head coach Darvin Ham did something many fans have been pining for going back several months: bring Russell Westbrook off the bench.
The move had mixed results. He had no points, two assists and two turnovers in five minutes before he left the contest with a bad hamstring.
Ham made it clear he would use the preseason and even some of the regular season to experiment with lineups.
According to Ham, Westbrook handled the move to the bench with a good attitude, and the coach also made it clear the former league MVP could end up back in the starting lineup.
"The door is not closed on Russ starting, and the door is not closed if this works for us." – Darvin Ham praises Russell Westbrook's professionalism and explains his strategy of having him coming off the bench. #Lakers pic.twitter.com/3P4lMuQPg7
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 15, 2022
It’s certainly a good sign that Westbrook didn’t complain about coming off the bench. Even better, unlike last year, L.A. has many other viable options at guard to rely on.
Kendrick Nunn, Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder, in particular, will be called on to play the point guard position at times when Westbrook is on the bench.
