Los Angeles Lakers fans were distraught when the news broke that Russell Westbrook will not be starting the team’s final pre-season game against the Sacramento Kings. Instead, he would be coming off the bench to lead the second unit of the team. Fans were not happy to see the nine-time All-Star being benched by the head coach of the team. 

However, this is likely a test run to see how well Westbrook plays without James and Davis in the lineup next to him. Westbrook and James both are players who need the ball in their hands to generate offense. And with both of them being on the floor at the same time ends up in Westbrook arguably being overshadowed by James.

The team is looking for a better role for Russell Westbrook

This will be a scenario similar to the one with Rajon Rondo. During the 2019-2020 NBA season, Rondo was the first one to get subbed in for James. And he led the second unit of the team. So this will be reportedly an experiment to see if Westbrook fits that new role.

With Westbrook out of the starting lineup, James can be the primary ball handler while being surrounded by off-ball players. Teammates like Kendrick Nunn, Patrick Beverly, and Dennis Schroder could be seen filling the spot for Westbrook. 

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These are players who do not need the ball in their hands to generate offense and can play off the ball as well. Even though putting two players who are ball dominant together on the floor usually ends up creating an increased demand for the ball, fans were not happy to see one of their star players get benched. 

Fans took to social media to express their views on the demotion of Westbrook. 

Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:

Did Westbrook fail to live up to the hype?

Even though Westbrook has possibly slowed down from his playing days in the Oklahoma City Thunder, he is still a contributor to the team. Russell Westbrook was brought to the Los Angeles Lakers to form a big three alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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The trio hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations that were built by the team, however, and moving Westbrook to the bench might not be a bad move after all. It will be interesting for fans to witness how this new system works for the Lakers and for Westbrook. 

Do you think the Lakers will find success next season? Let us know in the comments below.