Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn | USA Today Sports
To bench or to not bench Russell Westbrook?
The question doesn’t seem to matter for the Los Angeles Lakers as they fell to 0-5 after a 111-102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night.
The lowly start to the season matches the mark set in 2014-15, the year the Lakers went 21-61.
LeBron James, in his 20th NBA season, is carrying the talent for the team that is plagued by constant injuries to superstar Anthony Davis and a severe lack of perimeter scoring. The additions of Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker IV in the offseason have only made the shooting woes more apparent as the Lakers are dead last in the NBA from beyond the arc, shooting a ridiculously low 23.7%. The general scoring is no better as LA is shooting at a league-worse 41.6%.
While the question of Westbrook’s role becomes the biggest concern for the team itself, the whole roster lacks scoring prowess and thins dramatically with the loss of Davis.
The Lakers are still seeking win No. 1 of the 2022-23 season and will look to do so against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 30 (9:30 p.m. ET).
