1 stud and 1 dud from Los Angeles Lakers opening night loss to Warriors

One dud on the Los Angeles Lakers: Russell Westbrook

Truth be told, this was sort of expected. Russell Westbrook didn’t play well during the preseason and he’s still working through some kinks as the point guard of a new team. Westbrook played for 35 minutes and finished with eight points, five rebounds and four assists. He shot 4-for-13 from the field and 0-4 from the three-point line.

The only way for Russell to go from here is up. It’s not the end of the world. The chemistry isn’t going to magically mesh itself together, but it was still a disappointing first outing. Frank Vogel himself said that out of the Lakers’ new players, it’s been most difficult for Russell to adjust because he’s so used to being in a high usage role. Westbrook holds the most triple-doubles (184) in NBA history, so his normal is being one of the main focal points on offense.

It’s no easy task to share the court with LeBron and Anthony if you’re used to putting up high numbers. It didn’t help either that whenever James was out of the game, Russell played alongside Rajon Rondo. Those are two players that shouldn’t be on the court together ever again.

Westbrook is a competitor and after the game he wasn’t in a talkative mood, but LeBron was there to remind him to not be so hard on himself. If LeBron James isn’t stressing over Russell’s performance on Tuesday, neither should anyone else.

If Westbrook’s struggles continue far into the regular season, then it’ll be time to raise the question of if he’ll be able to find his footing in Los Angeles’ lineup.