Reports: Lakers' Russell Westbrook will come off bench in preseason finale
Lakers guard Russell Westbrook will reportedly come off the bench in the team's preseason finale on Friday against the Sacramento Kings, according to multiple reports.
Story with @BA_Turner - Lakers to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench in preseason finale https://t.co/M0u3cJuUj1
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 14, 2022
After a rocky first season with the Purple and Gold, Westbrook struggled mightily to fit in with stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis last year.
Westbrook will reportedly start off with the team's second unit, giving him a chance to be the floor general when James is off the court and is likely a sign for the team's plan moving forward.
Westbrook, a Los Angeles native who went to Leuzinger High School in Lawndale before going to play collegiately at UCLA, is a former league MVP and nine-time All-Star but barely looked like that last season.
Though he averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game last season, Westbrook never really seemed to fit in with the rest of the team and became a punchline for Lakers fans and national sports personalities.
While Ham and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka have publicly supported keeping Westbrook in Los Angeles, it has been reported that the team made many attempts during the offseason to trade him in an attempt to land Nets All-Star guard Kyrie Irving.
Westbrook is due $47 million this season in the final year of his current contract, making it extremely difficult for the team to trade him.
With that said, if the team is unable to complete a trade, it's very likely that we see Westbrook come off the bench this season for the Purple and Gold.