The Los Angeles Lakers-Russell Westbrook marriage is one of the most contentious in the league. It is clear that the Lakers and the fans no longer want Westbrook on the roster and it seems as if the former MVP has certainly taken notice.
That being said, Los Angeles is still trying different ways to utilize Westbrook, which includes bringing him off the bench. That is exactly what Darvin Ham did in the team’s final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings but it did not last long, as Westbrook shortly tweaked his hamstring after he came into the game.
Westbrook returned to the starting lineup in the Lakers’ opening night loss to the Golden State Warriors and saw mixed results. Westbrook was fine overall, but he still had some head-scratching moments in the game.
Perhaps the biggest head-scratcher came after the game, though. Westbrook was asked about his hamstring injury from the final preseason game and if he thought coming off the bench contributed to that. Westbrook confirmed that he did indeed think that coming off the bench influenced his injury.
Asked by @DanWoikeSports whether he thinks that coming off the bench and breaking from his normal routine could have influenced his hamstring injury in Sacramento, Russell Westbrook said “absolutely,” and said he wasn’t sure how to stay warm once the game started: pic.twitter.com/L4oYmp8D73
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 19, 2022
Russell Westbrook blaming his injury on Darvin Ham’s decision to bring him off the bench proves why he won’t work on the Lakers.
It just isn’t going to change. Russell Westbrook is who he is and it has gotten him this far in the NBA. He is not about to change for the Lakers and that was apparent with this quote after the game.
If Westbrook is going to work at all in Los Angeles before the team eventually trades him then it is going to take some buy-in and right now, it does not look like that buy-in is there. It is clear that Russ wants to just be Russ and he can’t be that in LA.
What is ironic about this is the fact that even though he is a starter he still comes into games after being on the bench for periods of time, so it is not like he doesn’t know how to get warm coming off the bench.
Plus, Westbrook has come off the bench several times in the NBA All-Star Game. I understand it is not the same but the level of effort for Russ in an All-Star Game and in the preseason is probably right around the game. He didn’t get hurt in those games, so what gives?
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Quotes like these are frustrating for fans, to say the least. Westbrook has certainly been very professional with the avalanche of media coverage around him and that is respectable and deserves praise. But then he turns around and says things like this, which simply keeps fans from ever fully backing him as a Laker.