Russell Westbrook laughed when the reporter asked if he could get off the bench next season for the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook had an interesting reaction when asked about his potential exit from the bench at the Lakers in the 2022-23 season.

Dylan Hernandez asked if Russell Westbrook could come off the bench next season, and Westbrook turned to his teammates, HBK and Wenyen, and laughed. Ham said he spoke to Rass and preached “sacrifice.” #Lakers # Lake Show

– Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) June 6, 2022

It’s hard to blame Westbrook for such a reaction, as he is a former MVP and has been a starting point throughout his NBA career (Westbrook started 65 of 82 games in his starting season).

Although the Lakers guard had difficulty in the 2021-22 season, the team has no better option than him, in the midfield season. The Lakers can always switch to another guard, but it will be difficult to find a resume with a better resume than Westbrook, and still keep it on the list.

In the 2021-22 season, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game this season, while throwing 44.4 percent off the field and 29.8 percent due to the arc.

In the 2021-22 season, he never made contact with the Lakers, and new head coach Darwin Ham will be able to get Westbrook comfortable in a role next door LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Looking at Westbrook’s entire career, the 2021-22 campaign was definitely a season to be forgotten.

His 18.5 points per game is the lowest figure he has averaged since his second season in the NBA. In addition, he averaged less than 10.3 assists per game for only the second time in seven seasons.

It will be interesting to see how Ham integrates Westbrook into the rotation when the guard is on the Lakers and hasn’t changed until the 2022-23 season.