LOS ANGELES — For a 32-year-old on a veteran team, the growing pains are achingly apparent.
Through a night with a handful of highs for the Lakers, Russell Westbrook is still searching — for his fit, his shot and his rhythm. A number of stat lines pop out from the Lakers’ 123-94 loss to the Phoenix Suns — dropping them to 0-4 this preseason — but none moreso than Westbrook’s statline: 8 points, 3 for 12 shooting and 9 turnovers.
The wins and losses don’t matter yet for the Lakers, but the performance of the nine-time All-Star and former MVP has yet to add momentum to the Lakers’ preseason hype as the Western Conference favorites. In two outings so far, Westbrook has more turnovers (15) than points (10).
Westbrook batted back concerns, calling the fixes “very easy” and being grateful that so far, the stats don’t count.
“Guys getting used to my speed, my pace, my timing, where I’m at on the floor. Me just getting my timing back on passing,” he said. “And not worried about it: I’d rather get them out now.”
Westbrook’s frustration was evident on a number of plays: blistering pick-and-roll passes that ricocheted from his teammates fingers and out of bounds; lay-ups that wouldn’t roll in; jumpers that caromed off the rim. Ironically, he was reasonable successful beyond the arc (2 for 5) which is the area where he often receives the most criticism of his game.
But as Westbrook traveled for his eighth turnover of the game, even he shook his head. While the Lakers have raved about his practices and intensity, the results on the court have yet to show themselves. But coach Frank Vogel says Westbrook’s main sin so far has been being too eager to share the ball, which the Lakers are willing to live with early in the chemistry-building process.
“He’s trying hard to distribute to get his teammates involved, to play extra pass basketball like we’re asking him to,” Vogel said. “New set of teammates, new system, it’s going to take some time, not worried about it.”
The Lakers still have not deployed their three stars together: LeBron James took the evening off after watching his Cleveland Browns play the Chargers at SoFi Stadium and conducting a pregame workout. Coach Frank Vogel said James has mentioned to him that he wants to play in the final two preseason games at home against Golden State and on the road in Sacramento.
Anthony Davis did one better than Vogel, acknowledging that the All-Star trio plans to play all together Tuesday against Golden State, potentially with Davis at center.
“It’ll be a whole different story come Tuesday,” Davis said.
Other Lakers had positive returns in the team’s latest exhibition, most notably Davis. Just 5 for 12 from the field, Davis got to the free throw line (8 for 11) and added 6 assists to go with 19 points, his high mark of the preseason. Davis was on the receiving end of the highlight of the games so far, slamming down a one-handed dunk in the second quarter off a lob from Kent Bazemore.
Carmelo Anthony also breathed life into the building with a sizzling 5 for 7 deep shooting night, finishing with 17 points. Along with the Lakers’ salty second quarter defense, he helped spark a 14-0 run that briefly put the team in the Sun’s stratosphere. Coming off a double-double against the Warriors on Friday, Dwight Howard played 12 minutes showcasing energetic defense, and Bazemore was the Lakers’ most dynamic perimeter defender prodding away four steals.
But offensively, the Lakers never got it going. Westbrook’s giveaways contributed to an enormous disparity on points off of turnovers: The Suns won that category 32-16. The Lakers also were badly outscored in the paint, struggling to find a consistent inside presence.
Six Suns finished in double figures, led by Chris Paul’s 15 points.
Monk to miss remainder of preseason; Horton-Tucker under evaluation
While the Lakers’ age has given fans anxiety about potential injuries, it’s the team’s younger players who have been struck recently.
The team announced Saturday evening that Malik Monk (groin strain) and Talen Horton-Tucker (sprained right thumb) would miss Sunday’s game against Phoenix. While the team is still evaluating the extent of Horton-Tucker’s injury, Monk will miss at least a week, coach Frank Vogel said, meaning he won’t be available for the final three games of the preseason.
Monk averaged 12.7 points in his three preseason appearances, and shot 47.1 percent from 3-point range. The 23-year-old is attempting to squeeze his way into the Lakers’ tightest position battle against veterans like Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington. But Vogel said that the former lottery pick of the Charlotte Hornets has given him something to think about.
“The tricky thing about our roster is we’ve got a lot of guys that I know and I trust to be rotational guys,” he said. “Does that mean every guy is gonna play every night? No it doesn’t. But Malik is definitely someone that I trust to be part of that rotation, and feel confident that he can help us win games.””