LeBron James weighs in on Russell Westbrook’s impact coming off the bench: “It’s a luxury for our ball club… When myself and AD are not in the game”
LeBron James has heaped praise on Russell Westbrook following his solid performance off the bench against the Denver Nuggets. The LA Lakers broke their five-game losing streak with their big three firing on all cylinders.
The Lakers finally made the call to get Westbrook off the bench after he recorded a dismal start to the year in a starting role. Westbrook averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists through three games as a starter. He shot 28.9% from the field, including 8.3% from the 3-point range.
However, Russell Westbrook seems to have rediscovered his swagger as the 6th Man on the team. Speaking about the influence he had on the Lakers' 121-110 win over the Nuggets on Sunday, LeBron James said (via Spectrum SportsNet):
"Throughout Russ' career, at some point, he has had to run a team. It's a luxury for our ball club for minutes when myself and AD [Anthony Davis] aren't in the game, and he [Westbrook] can run a unit.
"And tonight he's just looked more and more comfortable in a role that he has been incremented in, and we needed all 32 sensational minutes that he had."
"Defensively, we were locked in, and our offense caught up with us tonight." - LeBron James comments on Westbrook's role off the bench and the #Lakers' first win of the season. https://t.co/GBoXAvTEmk
Russell Westbrook has struggled to play off the ball alongside LeBron James, leading to his underwhelming stint with the LA Lakers thus far. Coming off the bench allows him to have the rock in his hands more and run lineups, which is crucial for Westbrook to thrive.
He dropped 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, shooting 50% from the floor against the Nuggets. Westbrook's performance was crucial, especially in the first half, when LeBron James found it difficult to get going.
It's the ideal situation for the LA Lakers and Russell Westbrook to have him come off the bench, as he has indeed looked more comfortable in that role. Westbrook also seemed to enjoy himself on the court while fans also engaged with him and showed their support by giving him a standing ovation.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis finally getting the support they need
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been the most consistently good performers for the LA Lakers. That's been the theme for this team since the LeBron-AD era began in 2019. Russell Westbrook's addition last season was considered a move that would resolve the issue, but it hasn't worked out as expected.
But that could change with Westbrook coming off the bench. As James mentioned, Westbrook's ability to run lineups and push the pace when he and AD are off the floor is invaluable. Not only was he impacting the game with his scoring, but he was also able to make plays and get the second unit going.
Russell Westbrook:
18 PTS / 8 REB / 8 AST / +18 https://t.co/xHSTczUQBD
Lonnie Walker IV bagged 18 points, while Austin Reaves (ten points) scored in double digits, too. It helped LeBron James and Anthony Davis to play more freely. The former even overturned an underwhelming start to the game.
James scored only nine points on 4-of-12 shooting in the first half. However, he overcame that in the second half, dropping 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting.