Lakers guard Russell Westbrook didn’t last long in his new role as a member of LA’s second unit.
Westbrook appeared to tweak his hamstring on a drive to the basket with 2:34 left in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 133-86 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
According to ESPN, coach Darvin Ham said Westbrook told him he thought he’d be OK.
Westbrook’s injury came just five minutes after Westbrook entered the game at the 7:30 mark.
The nine-time All-Star was scoreless, with two turnovers, two assists, and one rebound.
It was the sixth new lineup in six preseason games for the Lakers and their fifth loss.
“We had some great moments, some good moments, some not-so-good moments, but we’re a team that’s going to continue to learn each other every day,” said LeBron James of the Lakers’ preseason performance. “The season is here, so we have to get better.”
James had 10 points and 5 rebounds in a little over 17 minutes of play.
Austin Reeves was the only other Laker to score in double figures with 10 points and 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Anthony Davis sat out with lower back tightness, and Dennis Schroder missed the game with a finger injury.
“We have an ability to go to many lineups, and coach has done a great job obviously, so far, just kind of mismatching lineups to seeing, you know, I guess what he sees what best fits us once the regular season starts. But we won’t know honestly until we become whole. Injuries obviously is part of the game. But we will know once everyone is fully healthy and back in the game.”
After trading Westbrook seemed inevitable after the team’s poor performance last year, new coach Darvin Hamm and the Lakers organization seemed confident they could make the mismatch work this season.
The Lakers face the Golden State Warriors on Opening Night, Tuesday, October 18, at the Chase Center.
