Austin Reaves starts for Lakers as Russell Westbrook sits with injury

DENVER — As Austin Reaves launched what would be the first Lakers’ 3-pointer of the night, the man he replaced in the starting lineup stood up from the bench, making the 3-ball hand gesture.

Russell Westbrook didn’t suit up for the Lakers on Wednesday night in Denver, and Reaves – who has a track record for taking on more responsibility when needed – slid into the starting lineup.

The last time Reaves started in Denver: 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the last game of the season, putting him alongside a luminary list of Lakers rookies to notch a triple-double including Magic Johnson and Jerry West. Reaves laughed at the memory, which took place on the last night of last season.

“Going into the offseason, you end it on a good game,” he said. “On a win, call it a plus, you’re ready to get back at it and improve your game. That’s in the past. This year is this year. I’m focusing on that.”

Coach Darvin Ham subbed in Reaves for Westbrook at the end of the Portland game on Sunday, a move he said he made because of Reaves’ inbounding ability. But the beauty of the Arkansas native’s game to Ham is that he can do a little bit of everything – he’s referred to him multiple times as a “Swiss Army knife” for his versatility.

“He plays hard,” Ham said. “He scraps. He can shoot it. He can drive it. He can make good passes to his teammates, play-make. He gets in there, he fights for rebounds. He’s not afraid to hit the floor. He’s not afraid to hit other bodies. So, I’m looking forward to him being out there.”

The Lakers said Westbrook’s left hamstring, which caused him to leave during the first quarter of their preseason finale in Sacramento, got “irritated” against Portland. Ham called it a day-to-day injury.

“We talked about it over the course of the couple of days and how to approach it, what would be the best strategy to use,” Ham said. “We all came to the conclusion that it’s early in the season and there’s no reason to stretch it out or put him in a vulnerable position and just take it day to day. We all decided that he’d be out today.”

Westbrook, of course, has been under fire since the Lakers started the season 0-3. In his three starts, he has averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting under 30% from the field, and he notably gaffed late against the Trail Blazers by pulling up early with plenty of time on the shot clock.

Juan Toscano-Anderson, who occupies a locker next to Westbrook, has come to his teammate’s defense several times since the season began. The new addition called the 33-year-old one of his favorite teammates ever during shootaround in Ball Arena on Wednesday afternoon, adding that the former league MVP is helpful, supportive and positive off the court. Westbrook has been taking a lot of heat for his sketchy start, which Toscano-Anderson pushed back on.

“I know for me, I’d be pissed off and frustrated,” he said. “People talking about me all the time, I got to listen to this. My kids got to listen to this. Like, I’m not making any excuses for him. OK, yeah, we’re all grown men, I get it. But like, he’s still a human being just like you are and you are. So I’m always going to support him through B.S.”

LAKERS BRING IN WILL SMITH FOR GENIUS TALK

The Lakers revealed on social media that they had recently hosted actor Will Smith as part of their Genius Talk series to speak to the team. Smith has been the star of several blockbuster films, but he also generated controversy earlier this year for slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards.

Ham said he appreciated Smith’s insight into making films but also weathering the headline-making event that drew a lot of criticism for Smith. Smith told the Lakers he had made seeking the approval of others less important in his life, which resonated with Ham.

“People are going to feel what they’re going to feel, they’re going to think what they’re going to think,” he said. “But the more adversity that’s thrown his way or throw your way, and we’ve all seen our share of that, especially I found that out pretty quickly being the coach of this team, I couldn’t agree more. You have to embrace the adversity because it again, forces you to go back to work, go back to the drawing board and be the best version of yourself.”

Kyle Goon is a Maryland native who kept traveling west in search of stories. Kyle has been a Lakers beat reporter since 2018, and was one of a few reporters inside the NBA bubble in 2020. He previously worked at The Salt Lake Tribune covering the Utah Jazz and Utah Utes. He is a University of Maryland alum.