Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had a "brief discussion" with Russell Westbrook after the star guard asserted that coming off the bench in a preseason game might have led him to suffer a hamstring injury.

Ham supported the Lakers medical staff and told reporters he'll do what's best for the team when it comes to Westbrook's role:

Westbrook logged just five minutes off the bench in Los Angeles' preseason finale. He left the game with a minor hamstring issue.

The Lakers opened the 2022-23 season with a 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Westbrook started and played 31 minutes. After the game, he expressed how altering his routine in the preseason "absolutely" might have led to him getting hurt:

How Ham handles Westbrook figures to be one of the Lakers' biggest storylines this year.

The nine-time All-Star has been declining for some time, and his days of being even a serviceable starter on a title contender could be over. Moving him into the second unit might be his best fit for Los Angeles.

However, Westbrook's comments underscore how that process can be much easier said than done when you're demoting somebody of his stature.

Over his first 14 seasons in the NBA, the 33-year-old was accustomed to a certain pregame routine.

When you're a starter, you know you're going to be on the floor at tipoff, and you know you'll have some time to get into the flow of on-court action. You can also feel confident knowing a few missed shots won't result in a quick hook back to the bench.

Those same luxuries don't necessarily come with a reserve role, and it can obviously require a big adjustment. That's especially true for a player such as Westbrook, a ball-dominant guard whose playing style lacks any real subtlety.

This all might be a moot point since Westbrook continues to be part of the Lakers starting lineup. But Ham seems perfectly willing to make the change if need be, at which point the onus will be on the veteran guard to adjust to his new normal.

The Darvin Ham tenure is one game old for the Los Angeles Lakers, but it's safe to say one of the star players is already a fan of the new head coach.

"I love him and his system," Anthony Davis Davis told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. "He is one of those coaches you would run through a brick wall for. He got your back to make you work hard for him. He's definitely a player's coach. He's been great for all of us. He lets us play freely offensively and keeps a defensive edge."

Fair or not, Ham is going to be under the spotlight throughout his first season.

After all, the Lakers were a massive disappointment in 2021-22 as they finished with a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs and play-in tournament despite a roster littered with future Hall of Famers.

Russell Westbrook struggled to adjust to a new role on a new team, LeBron James dealt with injury concerns at times and Davis played just 40 games because of his own injury problems. Head coach Frank Vogel was fired at the end of the season, and Los Angeles hired Ham.

"He is in a position where he should be," James said of Ham. "We're delighted, happy and fortunate for him to be on our side. He is going to have a long career as a head coach."

Ham was a longtime assistant for the Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks prior to landing the spot as the head coach in Los Angeles and counts a championship as part of the staff for the 2020-21 Bucks on his resume.

The Purple and Gold didn't get off to the start they were looking for with a 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Tuesday's opener, and things don't get much easier with a showdown against the L.A. Clippers on Thursday.

James (31 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists), Davis (27 points, six rebounds and four steals) and Westbrook (19 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting) all stuffed the stat sheet, so there is at least something to build on for the Lakers as they look to put last season's failures in the rearview mirror and build a new identity under a new head coach.

To hear Davis tell it, the team has no shortage of motivation to do just that for Ham.

It's too early for fans of the Los Angeles Lakers to panic. After all, the team has played only one game in the 2022-23 season, and that was a road matchup against the defending NBA champions.

However, there was cause for concern during the Lakers' 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. It wasn't that competitive of a game, considering Los Angeles once trailed by 27 points. The Lakers shot only 25 percent from three-point range (10-for-40), and they showed a lack of depth beyond the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.

After an offseason filled with trade rumors (mostly involving Westbrook), Los Angeles may need to make some in-season moves if it hopes to get back to the playoffs. Otherwise, the Lakers could miss out on the postseason for the second consecutive year.

But Los Angeles shouldn't make moves now. It's a bit too early for that. And it seems like the Lakers have that same mindset.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that Los Angeles plans to wait until "post-Thanksgiving, 20 games into the season" before making any trades. Why exactly?

Because, as Wojnarowski noted, that's when some teams that struggle early may decide to go into sell mode. They'll know they're unlikely to contend this season, and they'll want to improve their odds for the 2023 draft lottery, especially considering there's a star player (Victor Wembanyama) in the upcoming class.

That's why Wojnarowski also anticipates more teams to be sellers this season than in recent years.

"As more teams become sellers ... you start to see the asking price in trades go down. It's supply and demand," Wojnarowski said Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter. "So expect the Lakers really to get to that 20-game point where teams kind of reach an inflection point about how they want to proceed and then see what might really be available to help improve this Lakers team."

For Los Angeles to make any moves, it will likely need to trade Westbrook (who will be a free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season) along with a first-round draft pick or two. Most of the rumors involving the Lakers have had them parting with that type of package.

Perhaps Westbrook will increase his value over the next month if he proves that he's going to have a bounce-back season. He didn't have the best showing in his first year in Los Angeles. In Tuesday's season opener, the 33-year-old point guard scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and tallied 11 rebounds and three assists.

Even though James, Davis and Westbrook are all talented players, they may just not mix well together on the court. It could be better for the Lakers to surround James and Davis with strong shooters who would be better complements to their playing style.

But the market for those types of players may expand as the season goes on. So the longer Los Angeles can wait it out (while trying to stay in contention in the meantime) could help it find the best possible trade for its future.

Right now, the Lakers need to win as many games as possible under first-year head coach Darvin Ham. General manager Rob Pelinka should stay aware of the market, realizing that more trade possibilities could develop down the line.

And then, Los Angeles should make the necessary moves to help it have a strong rest of the season and push its way into the playoffs. That seems to be the best blueprint for the Lakers to follow moving forward.

The Los Angeles Lakers could be patient on the trade market, waiting until about 20 games into the season to look for deals, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski explained on NBA Countdown (1:17 mark):

"I'm told to expect Rob Pelinka and the Lakers to wait until post-Thanksgiving, 20 games into the season and see what teams may start pivoting, who don't start off well, who decide that they may start to look to unload players and perhaps get involved in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes," Wojnarowski said.

Victor Wembanyama is considered a can't-miss prospect in the 2023 NBA draft, which could encourage more teams to tank instead of battling for the play-in tournament.

Wojnarowski reported there are expected to be more sellers than buyers in trades this year, which could drive prices down.

The Lakers were active in trade talks throughout the offseason, with Russell Westbrook a major focal point. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha, the team had several discussions with the Indiana Pacers about a potential deal for Myles Turner and/or Buddy Hield but the two sides couldn't come to an agreement.

For teams with an eye toward the future that are looking to unload players signed to long-term deals, Westbrook's expiring contract could be an asset that offers more financial flexibility.

The Lakers' first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 could also be used as trade bait to entice teams planning to kickstart their rebuilds.

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis in good health, Los Angeles is clearly aiming to return to contention in 2022-23 and will attempt to add additional pieces that bring the squad closer to a title.

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their 2022-23 campaign on Tuesday night against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately for anyone hopeful about an improved Lakers team, the result was eerily similar to what we saw often last season.

Los Angeles struggled to even play competitively against the defending champs, falling in a 123-109 blowout.

The lopsided loss is concerning because L.A. had its three biggest stars—LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook—in the lineup and playing significant minutes. This is something we didn't see often last season, and there was reason to believe that this core unit could be better under new head coach Darvin Ham.

Now, the loss must be put into context. This was the Lakers' first game under a rookie head coach, and it came against the best team in basketball. A lot of squads are going to look outmatched against Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Co. this season. It also came at Chase Center following Golden State's championship-ring ceremony.

It's safe to say that the Warriors were amped for this one.

The Lakers have time to come together, jell under Ham and figure out the best plan for getting back to the postseason. There's no reason to panic just yet. More discouraging than the loss itself were Westbrook's comments after the game.

It was questionable whether Westbrook would even play because of a hamstring injury he suffered in the preseason finale. After the loss, the 33-year-old told reporters that he "absolutely" believes that Ham's decision to play him off the bench in the preseason finale led to the injury.

"Honestly, I didn't even know what to do pregame," Westbrook said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose. ... That's something I just wasn't accustomed to."

Westbrook's decision to essentially throw his coach under the bus one game into the season is a big problem. It completely undermines the idea that Westbrook is willing to be more of a team-first player than he was under former head coach Frank Vogel.

Ham wanted to experiment with Westbrook running the second team—a strategy that could allow L.A. to bring significant tempo shifts to its offense.

According to Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, this was a strategy that couldn't have worked under Vogel:

"After evaluating their lineups and rotation in training camp and the preseason, the Lakers determined in recent days, sources say, that it would be best to stagger James and Westbrook. It was something the Lakers considered doing last season, but then-head coach Frank Vogel was reluctant because he feared Westbrook wouldn’t respond well to coming off the bench."

The belief was, however, that Ham and Westbrook had built a solid enough relationship to try different lineup ideas without alienating the much-maligned star point guard.

According to Amick and Buha, the player-coach "connection" made Westbrook open to the idea.

"He totally understood, totally looked me in my eye and told me, said, 'Yeah, coach, whatever you need me to do,'" Ham said, per Amick and Buha.

It's only been a few days, and Westbrook has seemingly reversed course on that concept. That's a real concern because L.A.'s best chance of success this season is going to come from different lineup and schematic decisions than we saw last year.

As a rookie coach, Ham brings a clean slate to the organization. He can build a system and a plan around his players rather than forcing them into a scheme he's run for years, something Vogel tried and failed to do last season. However, if Westbrook is going to push back against Ham's choices—or publicly complain about them after the fact—new ideas could be difficult to implement.

This is something the Lakers' brass will have to consider when evaluating a potential Westbrook trade. And, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, a trade could still come before next February.

"The Lakers, at some point here, will start engaging teams again on possible Russell Westbrook trades," Wojnarowski said on NBA Today. "They paused it, essentially, at the start of training camp."

It has long made sense for Los Angeles to remain patient with Westbrook rather than make a snap decision that might require the trade of future first-round picks.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported last month that the Lakers discussed a deal with the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner—a deal that would have included multiple future first-rounders.

The Lakers should still give it some time to see what Ham can get out of Westbrook before trading valuable draft capital just to get rid of him. However, any idea that Ham can turn Westbrook into a perfect fit for this roster took a hit with Westbrook's postgame comments.

Just last month, Westbrook committed to doing what's best for L.A.

"I'll do what’s best for the team, and do whatever is asked of me," Westbrook said, per NBA.com's Mark Medina.

The reality, though, is that Westbrook may not truly be all-in on being a team-first player. If that's the case, then things aren't likely to be significantly different than they were under Vogel.

Expect the Lakers' chemistry and Westbrook's demeanor in the coming days and weeks to determine whether he plays out the final year of his contract or finishes the 2022-23 season elsewhere.

Stephen Curry dazzled en route to a game-high 33 points as the Golden State Warriors opened their latest title defense with a 123-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at the Chase Center.

Curry also recorded seven assists, six rebounds, four steals and a block on the night when the Dubs received their fourth championship ring since 2015. He knocked down 10 of his 22 shots from the field, including four made three-pointers, in 33 minutes.

Andrew Wiggins (20 points), Klay Thompson (18) and Jordan Poole (12) also reached double figures in scoring for Golden State. Fellow cornerstone Draymond Green tallied four points, five rebounds and five assists as Golden State held off a fourth-quarter surge from L.A.

"After tonight, the journey really begins in terms of everybody's best shot," Curry said. "You got some really talented teams that are going to be gunning for you. You have to be ready for it all. It's going to be a really long journey, but this is why we play. We're competitive. This is why we work as hard as we do. We can't just sit there and look at that ring."

Here's a look at some more Twitter reaction to the eight-time All-Star's latest standout performance:

LeBron James paced the Lakers with 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists as he showed no signs of slowing down as he opened his 20th NBA season. Anthony Davis (27 points) and Russell Westbrook (19 points and 11 boards) also played well in the loss.

"Whether you make a shot or you miss a shot, you turn the ball over, whatever, you've got to have a short memory and get on to the next play immediately," L.A. head coach Darvin Ham told reporters. "That has to be something that's in our fabric, not just against Golden State but against the entire league."

The teams don't meet again until Feb. 11, when they'll start a stretch of three head-to-head matchups in a span of 20 days.

Curry and the Warriors are back in action Friday night when they welcome two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets to the Chase Center.

The Lakers will attempt to pick up their first win of the campaign Thursday night when they face the rival Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook said Tuesday night that he "absolutely" believes coming off the bench in the team's preseason finale against the Sacramento Kings led to him suffering a hamstring injury.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Westbrook discussed being somewhat lost when being asked to come off the bench: "I've been doing the same thing for 14 years straight. Honestly, I didn't even know what to do pregame. Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose. ... That's something I just wasn't accustomed to."

While head coach Darvin Ham was testing the waters to see what Westbrook would look like off the bench, he was in the starting lineup for Tuesday's season-opening 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Ham didn't get to see much of Westbrook off the bench during the preseason, as he played only five minutes against Sacramento. Westbrook noted that he could have played more, but he "wasn't going to risk it in a preseason game."

After Tuesday's loss to Golden State, Ham said he wanted to establish a firm starting five, but when asked if that meant Westbrook would remain a starter, he was non-committal, noting that he is a "day-by-day guy."

The 33-year-old Westbrook, who is in the midst of his 15th NBA season, started for the 1,005th time in 1,022 career regular-season games on Tuesday. He has not come off the bench in a regular-season game since his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008-09 when he did so 17 times.

While the Lakers struggled as a whole against Golden State, Westbrook was solid individually, scoring 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Westbrook also had the second-best plus-minus rating of any Lakers starter Tuesday at minus-6, which was better than both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Last season, Westbrook absorbed much of the blame for the Lakers' failures and inability to make the playoffs, as L.A. had acquired him in hopes of him forming a "Big Three" with James and Davis.

The one-time NBA MVP did not play up to his usual standards, though, and it didn't help that LeBron and AD both missed significant time with injuries.

It is possible the Lakers would have preferred to move on from Westbrook, but he exercised his $47 million player option for this season. With a salary that large, Westbrook is tough to trade even if the Lakers want to get a deal done.

All of that means Ham is essentially tasked with making a combination that struggled last season into one that can thrive this season.

Bringing Westbrook off the bench in order to maximize both his and LeBron's talents on different units remains an option, but Westbrook's comments suggest he isn't keen on falling out of the starting lineup.

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2022-23 season aiming to put together a bounce-back campaign following an abysmal 2021-22 season that saw them finish 11th in the Western Conference and miss the playoffs.

With a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and some minor retooling of the roster with the additions of Patrick Beverley, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Lonnie Walker IV, among others, the Purple and Gold have high hopes.

However, L.A.'s season got off to a brutal start on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. The Lakers fell to the defending NBA champions 123-109, and they looked no better than last season.

While James and Davis combined for 58 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists, Russell Westbrook finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, while the duo of Walker and Beverley finished with a combined eight points, five rebounds and seven assists.

L.A.'s shooting also struggled as a whole. The team made 43.0 percent of its shots from the floor and just 10-of-40 shots from deep. The three-point shooting was a major area of concern for the Purple and Gold last season, and it appears it could be an even more glaring issue this year.

The Lakers were mocked on Twitter for their loss to the Warriors, and rightfully so as they looked disjointed on the court:

The Lakers are going to have a rough season if something doesn't change. Whether that be trading Westbrook or making changes to a lineup that didn't click on Tuesday night remains to be seen.

The Purple and Gold will be back in action on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers before facing the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.