Beijing time on October 15th, according to ESPN reports, well-informed sources revealed that the Lakers plan to arrange Russell Westbrook as a backup in the final preseason game against the Kings today.
The Lakers will let Westbrook come off the bench in their final preseason game, sources said. The move hints that the nine-time All-Star could potentially play as a sixth man in the new season.
Westbrook and Lakers coach Darwin Hamm discussed the possibility of coming off the bench during the offseason, according to tips from Woj. The two will discuss the issue again before today’s game against the Kings.
The Lakers’ goal is to give Westbrook the opportunity to play faster and more freely in the second unit, similar to the autonomy Rajon Rondo gained in 2019-20. But Westbrook hasn’t come off the bench since 2008.
Last season, many members of the Lakers team and coaching staff pushed for Westbrook to be a substitute, but then Lakers coach Frank Vogel believed that starting Westbrook would give the team the best chance to solve the problem.
The Lakers have a 1-4 record in the first 5 games of the preseason this year. During this period, Hamm made five different starting lineups. Hamm previously revealed that the last preseason he arranged for the bench will also be different.
Later, Woj revealed in a TV show that the Lakers will restart the Westbrook trade at some point. “The Lakers suspended negotiations about Westbrook at the start of training camp, during which they built the lineup, cut players, and saw how the lineup worked,” Woj said. “The Lakers still have two first-round picks and still have There is Westbrook’s expiring contract. So before the new season trade deadline, the Lakers definitely want to operate in the market and improve the team. So it can be expected that the Lakers will explore the Westbrook trade again at some point.”
So far this year’s preseason, the 33-year-old Westbrook has averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 20.3 minutes per game. (jim)Return to Sohu, see more
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