"We don't have time for people to be in their feelings"- LA Lakers head coach brushes off question about Russell Westbrook's potential reaction to being benched late against Portland Trail Blazers
With just under five minutes to go on Sunday, the LA Lakers found themselves on the cusp of picking up their first win. After out-scoring the Portland Trail Blazers by 12 in the third quarter, LeBron James and company appeared to be in full control.
However, things took a turn for the worse as Lakers scored just six points down the stretch, losing 106-104 to fall to 0-3.
One thing stands out from the Lakers' collapse down the stretch. It didn't begin until Russell Westbrook checked into the game. In the four-and-a-half minutes he played in that fourth quarter, he scored zero points and was a minus 10. Darvin Ham eventually made the decision to sub him out before the final buzzer sounded.
Following the loss, Ham was asked if he's worried about how the former MVP will respond to being benched at the end of a game like that. He went on to give a very simple response.
“We don’t have time for people to be in their feelings.”
LA Lakers lost from a position of strength after Russell Westbrook came back in
All offseason, the major topic of discussion for the LA Lakers was moving on from Russell Westbrook. Given his style of play and his game's weak points, many were skeptical about how he was going to fit next to the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Situations like what happened on Sunday are a clear indicator of how Westbrook hinders LA. It is no coincidence that things went downhill once he checked in down the stretch against the Trail Blazers. It's also worth noting that despite playing minimal minutes in the fourth quarter, he had the highest plus/minus.
Some credit needs to be given to Portland, as it was incredible down the stretch. But if LA had made some different decisions, it might have led to a victory for them.
LeBron James did everything he could to get his team in the win column, but his 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists weren't enough. He also came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
For James to be at his best, he needs proper floor spacing around him. When surrounded by shooters, defenses have to make the choice of either focusing on him getting to the rim, or cutting off passing lanes.
As we know, Westbrook is not much of a threat from beyond the arc. Knowing this, opponents sag off of him to crowd the paint. When he was subbed out for Austin Reaves, LeBron was able to create a clear lane to the basket and tie the game in the final seconds.
Westbrook entering the game is not the entire reason why the Lakers collapsed against Portland, but the numbers don't lie. Moving forward, Darvin Ham will have to keep the future Hall of Famer on a shorter leash in close games.