Russell Westbrook Rumors: Lakers 'Strongly' Considering Bringing PG off Bench

It could be a possibility for Russell to come off the bench for the Lakers next season.

The possibility of Westbrook coming off the bench is being seriously considered.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that the Lakers agreed to a one-year deal with Dennis Schrder on Friday. It seems that the starting job will have to be earned on the court.

New head coach Darvin Ham has the full backing of the organization to make roster decisions.

The NBA reporter gave more information on the backcourt.

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine

The lineup decisions to come will be Darvin Ham's, league sources say, but as it stands on Sept. 16: The Lakers head to training camp viewing Westbrook and Schroder as lead guards, PatBev as another 2-guard alongside Kendrick Nunn and Austin Reaves as a 3 behind LeBron James. https://t.co/sTQx9kE6ur

When he last played for the Lakers in 2020, he was second on the team with 5.8 assists per game. He scored more points per game than both Anthony Davis and King James.

In his first year in Los Angeles, he averaged more than 20 points, 7.4 rebound and 7.1 assists per game. The Lakers were 3.6 points worse off per 100 possessions when he was on the court than when he was off.

When James and Davis are not on the court, the second team could benefit from the offensive production of Oklahoma City's point guard.

He could be a good fit in the starting lineup as a low-usage guard who knows how to defend. He has been named to the All-Defensive team three times in his career, and he could help turn around a unit that ranked 21st in the NBA in efficiency.

The Lakers will try to turn things around next year after finishing with a 33-49 record in the next two years.