Austin Reaves Will Start For Lakers Instead Of Russell Westbrook Against Nuggets, And This Change Could Continue Going Forward, Says Shams Charania

Russell Westbrook struggled with the Los Angeles Lakers for the majority of last season, and it seems as though his issues have continued this year under new coach Darvin Ham. There is no doubt that the guard has struggled as a No. 3 option due to his ball-dominant nature.

The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets this evening, and Russell Westbrook will be out with a hamstring injury. NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the team will start Austin Reaves in place of Russell Westbrook, adding that this change could continue in the future.

Sources tell me Russell Westbrook will miss tonight's game. Sources also informed me that Austin Reaves is expected to start in place of Westbrook tonight. Reaves practiced with the first unit yesterday in practice... He has spent time starting in the preseason.

This is very much a move the Lakers could continue, depending on how tonight's game goes and depending on how they feel about the rotations with this starting unit going forward.

Darvin Ham and Russell Westbrook from what I'm told have been working together to try to figure out a solution, and find the best role for him to really impact this team.

It is clear from Shams Charania's statement that the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to bench Russell Westbrook if that means they will be winning more games. Darvin Ham has refused to bench Russell Westbrook prior to this announcement, Analyst Skip Bayless notably claimed that Ham is "afraid" of Westbrook, criticizing the coach's decision to start Westbrook and play him at the end of games.

Russell Westbrook Could Benefit From Coming Off The Bench

There is no doubt that coming off the bench could actually end up being beneficial for Russell Westbrook. Darvin Ham previously explained that since both Westbrook and LeBron James thrive with the ball in their hands, staggering them could benefit both players.

“Some guys play better off the ball, some guys play better with the ball in their hands, and through no fault of their own, that’s just how they’re built, you know?” Ham said. “You’re not gonna have LeBron James play without the ball in his hands for, you know, 80, 85 percent of his minutes that he’s on the floor, you know? At some point, you’ve got to allow him to orchestrate. Same thing with Russ. And so to create some type of balance, we wanted to look at this, the setup of this type of rotation and see if it works for us. The door’s not closed on Russ starting, and the door’s not closed on (whether) this works, you know. We got to explore it even further.”

Playing with the bench would allow Russell Westbrook to be the primary ball handler, putting him in his comfort zone. Benching Russell Westbrook would likely improve the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup as well, as the team would have better spacing in that scenario.

It remains to be seen if Russell Westbrook does end up being relegated to the bench. This recent update suggests that it is possible, and that happens, there's no doubt that Russell Westbrook will be one of the favorites for the Sixth Man of the Year award.