Report: Lakers to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench ‘for the foreseeable future’
Russell Westbrook is expected to play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night after he sat out Wednesday with a hamstring injury. He will not, however, be starting.
The Lakers are planning to bring Westbrook off the bench, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. They intend to stick with that approach going forward unless Anthony Davis is unable to play.
Davis is listed as questionable for Friday night’s game with a back injury. If he plays, Westbrook will come off the bench.
Westbrook started the first three games of the season for the Lakers. He picked up right where he left off last year, shooting 28.9 percent from the field and making just 1-of-12 three-pointers during the stretch. The Lakers lost all three games and then fell to Denver on Wednesday, so they are still searching for their first win.
Austin Reaves started in place of Westbrook on Wednesday, and one report claimed L.A. could stick with that lineup going forward. However, Wojnarowski noted that the Lakers used a starting five of Davis, LeBron James, Patrick Beverley, Lonnie Walker IV, and center Damian Jones at Friday’s shootaround. They likely want to use a bigger lineup to match up with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.
Bringing Westbrook back was a mistake for the Lakers, and it even appears to have led to some frustration for his teammates on the court. It will be interesting to see how receptive he will be to a bench role.