Lakers Rumors: Russell Westbrook to Come off Bench in Final Preseason Game vs. Kings

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers' second unit could potentially be anchored by Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers will play the Kings in their final preseason game, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin, it will be a bench game.

It has been speculated that Darvin Ham could use Westbrook as a sixth man this year.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jovan Buha reported in September that the Lakers brought in Dennis and Patrick to help out on the bench, and that there was a chance that Russell would come off the bench.

It remains a very fluid situation as with most lineup constructions ahead of training camp and the season. Sources say first-year head coach Darvin Ham, with the full backing of the organization, is ready and willing to make difficult rotation decisions in the interest of team success.

When a reporter asked if he would be used off the bench this season, he laughed off the question.

As Frank Vogel tried to find answers for the team, he blamed a back injury on "not accustomed to sitting down for long stretches" when he wasn't being used during crunch time.

The Lakers seem poised to at least start the 2022-23 season with the nine-time All-Star on their roster after spending much of the off-season trying to trade for him. There's no indication that he's going to be moved soon.

Each of the past 1,004 games that he has played, has been started by him. He started his career on the bench before being moved into the starting lineup.

The Lakers are trying to find a roster combination that will allow them to make the playoffs. They were 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-47 record.

The first season with LA was disappointing. His average of 18 points per game was his lowest in four years.

The Lakers will play the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 18th.