For the second time since his rookie year Russell Westbrook started the game on the bench. The 33-year-old point guard finished the game against the Nuggets with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 32 minutes, helping the Lakers win their first game this season.
After the game Lakers head coach Darvin Ham praised the former NBA MVP for accepting the role of coming off the bench and sending a message to his teammates how importance it is to sacrifice for the team.
“I told him he’s going to thrive,” Ham recalled a conversation he had with Westbrook. “A player of your magnitude, for you to do this, it’s going to send waves. It’s going to help our team.
“Everybody gets so caught up in the starting. If I remember correctly he finished the game right? Dude, I’m putting you in a position where you are going to come off and you are going to lead a charge…and it helped tonight.”
This season Westbrook is averaging 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 30 minutes per game for the Lakers.
