Benching Westbrook would be disastrous for the Los Angeles Lakers

With significant pressure surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ upcoming season, the team shook things up by benching nine-time all-star Russell Westbrook. The former league MVP has struggled as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, resulting in new head coach Darvin Ham experimenting with bringing him off the bench. While it was only for the final preseason game, it could be his role with the team going forward, or at least until he’s traded.

No matter what he might say, Westbrook, shall we say, is a strong personality and likely won’t take too kindly to such a demotion. That said, something has to give, and the Lakers’ experimenting with different lineups could result in them finding a rotation that maximizes their group’s strengths. There’s also a possibility that the team is considering doing this to motivate Westbrook.

After all, former league MVPs don’t normally get benched in their early 30s, and someone with his temperament might respond by playing more focused and with a chip on his shoulder. That’s just what the Lakers need, and, by bringing him off the bench, he could rebuild his confidence and his trade value by dominating against opposing second units. That’s one theory, at least.

Bench Russell Westbrook is a big gamble for the Los Angeles Lakers.

While the Lakers don’t have to worry about appeasing Westbrook since he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after this season, they still need him to be engaged. If he isn’t, then that’s a huge problem, but perhaps less so than last season. During the offseason, the team considered trading him, but other teams requested two unprotected first-round picks to take Westbrook off their hands.

The Lakers wisely rebuffed those demands in hopes of building a stopgap roster that could compete without mortgaging their future. They did this by trading for Patrick Beverly, signing Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schroder, and bringing back a healthy Kendrick Nunn. All of those moves should benefit the team by providing them with ballhandling, playmaking, and 3-point shooting.

That decreases the team’s reliance on Westbrook and gives the team greater depth, but it doesn’t discount the Lakers’ need for a third star to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis. At this point, Westbrook is unlikely to be that player, but if he were to reign in some of his uglier traits, then he could still be very good.

However, he’s unlikely to do that off the bench. Although benching him might send him a message, it could also alienate him and cause him to check out. After all, he clearly doesn’t have a future in L.A. and could be gone in four months, at the trade deadline, or in eight months, once he hits free agency.

A non-motivated Westbrook could fire away with reckless abandon in the non-James-Davis minutes, hurting the team. Just imagine Westbrook struggling against opposing second units. It would reduce his trade value and force the Lakers to make difficult decisions such as giving up a future first-round pick at the trade deadline, continuing to play a destructive player, or even benching him entirely. As a result, the risks of bringing Westbrook off the bench far outweigh the benefits.

Ultimately, the Los Angeles Lakers are better off having Westbrook start and hoping that he’s far more effective this season than he was last season. If he is, then they could be a playoff team. However, if he isn’t, then the Los Angeles Lakers’ free-agent acquisitions could help offset his poor play.