Los Angeles Lakers

Few people in the NBA understand what makes Russell Westbrook effective on the court better than Kevin Durant after they were teammates for eight seasons on the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Brooklyn Nets star believes criticism of the Los Angeles Lakers point guard has gone too far.

Durant talked about a number of NBA topics during a discussion with Eddie Gonzalez for Boardroom, including the criticism Westbrook faces on the Lakers (12:15-15:30).

Videos of Westbrook not joining his team for a pregame huddle or during a brief meeting in a stoppage of play made the rounds on social media this preseason, but Durant pointed out that "Russ always did that … it felt like he was just getting his mind right."

"But if you're playing in L.A., if you're playing next to the biggest figure in sports in LeBron James, everything you do is going to be magnified," Durant continued. "Especially if the outside perception is that your team is going to struggle."

The future Hall of Famer used the discussion about Westbrook to make a larger point about NBA discourse.

"The dialogue around our game is just so toxic at this point," he said. "I get criticism, but it's starting to turn into something else right now."

Perhaps nobody in the league faced more criticism than Westbrook last season, as his first campaign with the Lakers went anything but according to plan. He struggled to adjust to playing alongside James as a ball-dominant playmaker and hit just 29.8 percent of his three-pointers.

At one point, the nine-time All-Star said the constant belittlement he received was bothering his family.

While Durant and Westbrook may not have always been the best of friends since their days as teammates ended, the former had the latter's back ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook drew some attention last week for not joining in on team huddles during preseason games, but apparently his teammates aren't bothered by his behavior.

Lakers guard Patrick Beverley described the viral moment in the first episode of his new Pat Bev Pod, and he said he had a lighthearted reaction to the video.

"After the game, everybody was like, 'Why'd he do you like that?' I'm like, 'Damn, what happened?' They sent it to me, obviously it's funny as hell," Beverley said.

During Los Angeles' preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Beverley was seen pulling in players for a huddle after a stoppage in play. Westbrook was late getting to the huddle, and many perceived it as a slight to Beverley. Another viral video showed Westbrook standing away from the rest of his Lakers teammates during pregame introductions.

Beverley explained that Westbrook wasn't in the huddle during the game because he was having a discussion with the referees as well as the coaches. His moment during pregame introductions also wasn't a big deal because "he does that all the time," Beverley said.

The veteran added that there's an understanding within the Lakers that Westbrook is under a microscope, especially considering an offseason where he was the subject of rampant trade rumors.

"We told him on the plane like, 'Hey Russ, anything you do, bro, they're like gonna attack you. So, damn, I'm sorry you gotta go through that,'" Beverley said.

He added that Westbrook has handled the attention well and hasn't let it affect him negatively.

"It don't faze him, but as a human, you gotta keep your sanity in this s--t because you can kind of lose yourself," Beverley said. "But man, mentally he's been solid, mentally he's been strong."

The Lakers open the 2022-23 season against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to bounce back from a non-playoff season, but they will have the opportunity to play spoiler before they play the role of potential contender in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles starts the 2022-23 campaign with a road game against the reigning champion Golden State Warriors before its home opener against the L.A. Clippers. The Warriors will celebrate last season's championship by handing out their rings before the game.

"Our first two games are against two title contenders," Anthony Davis said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "It's always good to spoil a ring night. So our mindset is going up and starting this season with a couple W's."

The only thing the Lakers spoiled last season was their chances at an 18th championship in franchise history.

They were the most disappointing team in the league with a 33-49 record, which wasn't even good enough to qualify for the play-in tournament. Injury concerns for Davis and LeBron James certainly didn't help, and the addition of Russell Westbrook didn't go as planned as he struggled to adjust and hit shots from the outside.

Los Angeles is always under the spotlight given the franchise's storied history and the presence of stars such as James and Davis, but it will draw even more attention in 2022-23 because of last season's struggles.

It didn't make many significant changes other than firing head coach Frank Vogel and bringing in Darvin Ham, as the core remains largely the same despite trade rumors circulating around Westbrook throughout the offseason.

The season hasn't even started yet and the Lakers are facing adversity, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Dennis Schröder will miss 3-4 weeks because his thumb injury requires surgery.

A slow start would only serve to dial up the pressure, and the schedule doesn't get much more difficult than an opener on the road against the Warriors.

Golden State dealt with adversity of its own this offseason considering Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole during a practice altercation, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported one of the contributing factors for the team's decision to fine and not suspend him was that opening night is ring night.

That means Davis and the rest of the Lakers will have to spoil the championship party for a Warriors team that will be operating with the entire Big Three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Green.

Just five minutes into the Los Angeles Lakers' Russell Westbrook bench experiment, the nine-time NBA All Star had to leave Friday's game with a pulled left hamstring.

Before exiting the Lakers' blowout 133-86 loss to the Sacramento Kings, Westbrook logged one rebound and two assists while quarterbacking the second unit, something the team wants to extend into the regular season, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Darvin Ham assesses the #Lakers' preseason and the struggles of not having the whole squad due to injuries. pic.twitter.com/xvCIRekcpJ

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 15, 2022

"It's a very small sample size, but he made some great reads," head coach Darvin Ham told reporters. "Again, by the time we were able to get into a real kind of groove of the game, he had to come out.

"Injuries are a huge part of our business and you just got to try to navigate it the best way you can. We'll keep throwing stuff against the wall and see what works and what doesn't."

Westbrook isn't the only player battling an injury for the Lakers right now. That includes Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schröder, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Anthony Davis.

But the former MVP's hammy tweak could provide the team with a better runway for both parties, allowing time for him to ease into the idea of continuing to come off the bench, something he hasn't had to do since 2008.

Last season, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists, which aren't bad numbers on the surface. But to the eye test, he made careless mistakes, took ill-advised shots and clashed with Davis' and LeBron James' playing styles.

The fact that he only shot 44.4 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent from three didn't help either.

Since taking over the coaching duties for L.A., Ham has praised the veteran point guard's abilities, hard play and professionalism, especially lately with what he calls a "realignment," instead of a "demotion."

"He’s been a pro. He totally understood," Ham told reporters after the game. "He said ‘Yeah, coach, whatever you need me to do.’

"For him to trust us and what we’re trying to take some notes on—him being in that part of the rotation—my hat’s off to him."

The plan is to have Westbrook run the point for the second unit so he can have the ball in his hands, push the tempo and optimize the group on the floor with him.

Ideally, Ham wants to surround Westbrook with catch-and-shoot players and runners who will cut to the basket and try to keep up with him on the break.

This move could potentially create two outcomes: wins for the Lakers and an improved impression of Westbrook, thereby opening the door for trade conversations to move on from the experiment altogether.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers "will start engaging teams again" on a potential Westbrook trade soon, so it only helps that process if he's playing well.

Trade scenarios aside, Ham does want to leave the door open for yet another major coaching decision.

"The door isn’t closed on Russ starting," Ham added. "We need to explore it further. We’re not at the finish line; we’re at the starting blocks."

A better start is what L.A. and Westbrook both desperately need.

Whether Westbrook starts or not, the Purple and Gold need to come up with a rotation that yields them better results than their 1-5 record at the conclusion of the preseason.

Laker fans are not happy, and it's going to take Ham and the rest of the organization to continue throwing whatever they can think of at the wall and hope that somehow a winning mentality begins to stick.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook is considered "day-to-day" with left hamstring soreness, per Mike Trudell of Spectrum.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported there was no structural damage found.

Westbrook suffered the injury during his team's final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday. He was seen limping off the court after just five minutes of game time and never returned.

The Lakers open the regular season on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors.

Westbrook's role with the team was already in question with the veteran guard coming off the bench during Friday's game.

"It's not a demotion; it's a realignment," head coach Darvin Ham told reporters.

The Lakers also held trade talks with the Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets during the offseason trying to deal away Westbrook, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

The nine-time All-Star is coming off a disappointing 2021-22 season with Los Angeles, averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.

Los Angeles still needs him to stay healthy, especially with fellow guard Dennis Schröder out with a finger injury. Shams Charania on The Rally reported it could be a "long-term injury."

Patrick Beverley should handle starting point guard duties in the meantime, while Austin Reaves and Kendrick Nunn slide into bigger roles in the backcourt.

There was no shortage of blame to go around for the Los Angeles Lakers in their disastrous 2021-22 season. Former head coach Frank Vogel was fired, Russell Westbrook was the subject of trade rumors all summer long and potentially will come off the bench this season, and the roster saw a major upheaval.

But one of the quieter storylines from the season was the performance of Anthony Davis, who only appeared in 40 games and had, by his own lofty standards, something of a down year.

The organization took notice. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, "Apart from missing more games that he played in for the Lakers the last two seasons, there was a sentiment within the team's front office last season that Davis didn't look like the franchise player they thought they had coming off the 2020 championship, sources said."

Davis, 29, shot 53.2 percent from the field and averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game when he was healthy last year, all solid marks. But he shot a woeful 18.6 percent from three, and the Lakers were outscored by three points per 100 possessions while he was on the court, per NBA.com.

Surprisingly, they were outscored by just 2.9 points per 100 possessions while he sat.

There is a lot of noise in statistics like net rating, but the expectation will always be that the Lakers are a better team statistically while Davis is on the court, not worse, however marginal.

One remedy might be better optimizing the starting group. Westbrook coming off the bench should alleviate some of the floor-spacing issues from a season ago, while new head coach Darvin Ham's plan to utilize Davis more as a 5 this season should help in that regard as well.

"He knows I'm not going to put him in a situation to get beat up or that he's not going to be able to excel at his highest form," Ham told reporters this week. "I'm looking at him more as a weapon for us offensively. Him bringing shot blockers out of the paint. I think he'll be fine."

Davis hasn't been shy about his preference to play the 4 in the past, but he conceded that he'll do what's best for the team.

"At the end of the day, I trust coach's decision," he said. "I mean, I'm pretty sure he heard AD wants to play the 4, so he knows where I stand, but at the end of the day, I want to win, so if that's me playing the 5, that's what it's got to be."

Davis was incredible during the bubble playoffs, averaging 27.7 points per game while shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc en route to a Lakers title. That is what Davis is capable of and what the Lakers will hope to see more of this season.

The Los Angeles Lakers initially only wanted to sign Dennis Schröder if they had already traded away Russell Westbrook, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin:

"The Lakers originally planned to have found a trade partner for Westbrook before signing Schröder, sources said. But after the point guard's strong showing for Germany in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament generated interest around the league, L.A. signed him before another team could."

The Lakers have been shopping Westbrook around the NBA this offseason, reportedly holding discussions with the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets, per McMenamin. However, the veteran guard remains on the roster ahead of Tuesday's season-opener against the Golden State Warriors.

Schröder, meanwhile, signed a one-year deal with the Lakers in September to add depth in the backcourt.

The 29-year-old averaged 22.1 points per game for Germany in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament, ranking fifth in the competition. He had 30 points and eight assists in the semifinal loss to eventual champion Spain, but he still helped Germany finish in third place.

Schröder scored 15.4 points per game during the 2020-21 season with the Lakers, and the familiarity should help him play a key role this season.

The question is what the Lakers now do with the logjam of experienced players in the backcourt.

Patrick Beverley and Austin Reaves started in the final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings, pushing Westbrook to the bench in a move head coach Darvin Ham called a "realignment."

Westbrook is now dealing with a hamstring injury, while there is long-term concern about Schröder's finger injury, per Shams Charania on The Rally.

These issues likely make the Lakers happy to have plenty of guard depth.

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to open the 2022-23 NBA regular season on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors. For now, it seems that much-maligned point guard Russell Westbrook will be on the roster when the season begins.

This may change in the coming days, though, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"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."

This is obviously far from the first we've heard of a potential Westbrook trade coming out of Los Angeles. Early in the offseason, the Lakers were linked to the Brooklyn Nets and point guard Kyrie Irving. More recently, it's been the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported last month that the Lakers discussed a deal for Hield and Turner but did not want to part with multiple future first-round picks as part of the trade.

The idea of L.A. revisiting a Westbrook trade isn't surprising. However, the Lakers should be careful about how aggressively they pursue a deal. Parting with valuable future draft capital just to get out from under Westbrook's $47 million salary could be a massive detriment to the team's long-term roster building.

There's still a chance that L.A. can field a functional roster this season, and the presence of head coach Darvin Ham is a big reason why. Core centerpieces LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still on the roster, and Ham appears to be building a strong bond with Westbrook.

That bond allowed Ham to try using Westbrook off the bench in Friday's preseason game against the Sacramento Kings:

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham on Russell Westbrook coming off the bench tonight: “It’s not a demotion; it’s a realignment.”

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 15, 2022

The Lakers, of course, didn't get a long look at Westbrook in that role, as he exited the game with a hamstring injury. However, the mere fact that Westbrook is willing to accept a rotational role is huge.

It wouldn't have happened under former coach Frank Vogel, with whom Westbrook openly clashed. Vogel was too afraid that Westbrook wouldn't respond well, according to Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic:

"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."

Westbrook, though, has been far more open to taking coaching from Ham. That includes playing stronger defense and perhaps running the second-team offense.

"Whether they want me here or not, it doesn’t really matter,” Westbrook said, per NBA.com's Mark Medina. “My job is to be a professional and show up to work as I’ve always done."

According to Amick and Buha, Ham's "connection" with Westbrook made him more open to having a bench role.

"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.

And the idea of staggering James and Westbrook is intriguing. With James and Davis running the offense, Los Angeles can play a more physical and fundamentally driven brand of basketball. With Westbrook leading the second team, the Lakers could employ a more explosive fast-break style. The massive shift in tempo could become a difficult tactic for opposing teams to defend.

While this strategy might not be the one that L.A. envisioned when it acquired Westbrook last offseason, it's long been the one that made the most sense. Theoretically, it would afford James and Davis more time to rest while keeping a player on the court who commands defensive attention.

Having Ham as the head coach is finally allowing Los Angeles to try this strategy out. Obviously, Westbrook's hamstring injury is potentially problematic, but the Lakers owe it to themselves to see how Westbrook's new role works in the regular season before aggressively trying to trade him.

Another factor to consider is that point guard Dennis Schröder may miss an extended period with a finger injury.

"The Lakers do have some worry that this could be a long-term injury for him." Charania said on Bally Sports' The Rally.

If Schroder is out long-term, the Lakers may need Westbrook to run the second team.

This is less important, though, if the Lakers truly believe that Westbrook cannot be a high-level contributor in that role. This is why patience—through the injury and any early-season growing pains—is absolutely necessary.

If Westbrook flops in a bench role or sours on the idea of being a sixth man, Los Angeles will have until the February 9 trade deadline to find him a new home. Until then, Ham and the Lakers need to do what Vogel was unwilling to try last season—explore every avenue of maximizing Westbrook's positive impact on the roster.

Friday was a newsworthy day surrounding Russell Westbrook. He came off the bench rather than starting the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings. He then exited in the first quarter due to a hamstring injury.

And of course, more trade rumors continued to circulate regarding the 33-year-old point guard ahead of the start of his second season in Los Angeles.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that "the Lakers, at some point here, will start engaging teams again on possible Russell Westbrook trades." There had been previous reports of Los Angeles having those conversations throughout the offseason, and it seems more are on the horizon.

"They paused it essentially at the start of training camp," Wojnarowski said during an appearance on ESPN's NBA Today. "Typically, most teams, it gets a little quiet here as teams are putting their rosters together, making their cuts and then seeing what it looks like playing preseason games."

For now, it's a possibility that Westbrook will begin the 2022-23 season as a bench player for the Lakers. When it was announced he wouldn't be in the starting lineup for Friday's exhibition contest, head coach Darvin Ham called it "not a demotion" but "a realignment," according to ESPN.

But even if this works out well for both Westbrook and Los Angeles, it doesn't seem to rule out a potential trade down the line.

"Certainly, there's an opportunity for Russell Westbrook to get integrated with this group and that second unit it seems," Wojnarowski said on NBA Today, "but I think ultimately the Lakers—still armed with those two future first-round picks and Westbrook's expiring contract—would like to go out and improve this team, certainly before the trade deadline. I think you can expect them to start canvassing again at some point once the regular season starts."

But how soon should Los Angeles do that? The regular season begins Tuesday, when the Lakers open with a road matchup against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Should they be starting back up Westbrook trade talks shortly after?

It's possible that Westbrook fares better than he did in his first season in Los Angeles, when injuries limited the time that he, LeBron James and Anthony Davis spent on the court together. It could also help if Westbrook comes off the bench, as that may be a better fit for him given the Lakers' current roster construction.

Westbrook could boost his trade value by performing well, showing that he can still play at a high level. On the flip side, though, more struggles could lower teams' interest in dealing with him.

However, any team willing to take on Westbrook's $47.06 million salary for this season will be most interested in Los Angeles' draft capital. That will be the Lakers' biggest selling point, as long as they're willing to part with two first-round picks.

Because of that, it may be best for Los Angeles to just move fast if it's set on parting ways with Westbrook. It could possibly get a few solid players in return, which would help it try to compete this season.

It's hard to imagine that Westbrook will struggle as much as he did last season. But it seems like the Lakers may want to deal him and go in a different direction with their lineup. So they shouldn't waste time and should get back to work trying to find the best available trade that will set them up for success moving forward.

The potential first step toward having Russell Westbrook anchor the Los Angeles Lakers' second unit will begin on Friday night.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin, Westbrook will come off the bench for the Lakers' preseason finale against the Sacramento Kings.

There has been speculation that head coach Darvin Ham could look to use Westbrook as a sixth man this season.

In September, The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported the prospect of Westbrook coming off the bench was "being strongly considered" in the wake of the Lakers bringing in Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schröder.

"As with most lineup constructions ahead of training camp and the season, it remains a very fluid situation," Buha and Amick wrote. "But sources say first-year head coach Darvin Ham, with the full backing of the organization, is ready and willing to make whatever difficult rotation decisions might lie ahead in the interest of team success."

Westbrook did laugh off a reporter in June when he was asked about the possibility of being used off the bench this season.

As previous head coach Frank Vogel tried to find answers for the team last season, Westbrook cheekily blamed a back injury on "not accustomed to sitting down for long stretches" when he wasn't being used during crunch time in some games.

After spending much of the offseason exploring trade offers for Westbrook, the Lakers seem poised to at least start the 2022-23 season with the nine-time All-Star on their roster. He could potentially get moved at some point, but there's no indication anything is imminent.

Westbrook has started each of the past 1,004 games he has played dating back to his rookie season in 2008-09. He began his career coming off the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder before being moved into the starting lineup on Nov. 29, 2008.

The Lakers are looking to find a roster combination that allows them to compete for a playoff spot. They finished 11th in the Western Conference last season with a 33-49 record.

Westbrook's first season with Los Angeles was a disappointment. His average of 18.5 points per game was his lowest since 2009-10.

The Lakers will open the 2022-23 regular season on Oct. 18 against the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.