“Russ isn't going to be wearing street clothes on the bench”- NBA analyst predicts exasperating days for Russell Westbrook on the LA Lakers bench, believes Patrick Beverly will be the starting guard

Russell Westbrook is being made the scapegoat as people believe his presence will cause more harm than good for the LA Lakers this season. Skip Bayless believes Russ will be benched a lot, especially as the team has options in the backcourt.

Many blamed Westbrook for the Lakers' struggles last season. He was brought in to elevate the team, especially when LeBron James and Anthony Davis were unavailable. But things did not go as planned.

Westbrook was linked to several trade rumors during the offseason but none materialized. Brian Windhorst reported that the Lakers' refusal to give up Westbrook and future first-round picks might be tied to draft prospect Victor Wembanyama.

Bayless has ripped into Westbrook once again, maintaining there is discord within the team. He believes Westbrook is distancing himself from the rest of the group, and new acquisition Patrick Beverley will take his minutes.

On "The Skip Bayless Show," he said:

"The other night, as I tweeted, the new Big 3, LeBron, AD, and Pat Bev sitting in street clothes at the end of the bench. Russ is sitting in the middle of the bench. And really, that's how it should look because I think Pat Bev is the newest member of the new Big 3. ... Russ is at quiet war with this team."

Speaking about how the Lakers will focus on gradually reducing Russell Westbrook's involvement, he said:

"So, the whole goal of the offseason to me became reducing Russ' minutes, and his negative impact on the team. ... As the season wears on, Russ isn't going to be wearing street clothes on the bench, he's going to be wearing his uniform on the bench as he sits and watches the team play.

"Pat Bev will be playing more and more of Russ' minutes, deeper and deeper into games."

In the Lakers' last outing in the preseason, they started Westbrook and Patrick Beverley in the backcourt. Many believe they will be the starters early in the season.

---

Russell Westbrook has dismissed rumors of bad blood in the team

Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers

Russell Westbrook's narrative of separating himself from the team has gained some traction online, and the All-Star guard was asked about it. He debunked such rumors and explained what happened. He said:

"It's really weird. Pregame, I've been doing that since I've been in the league for years. I think they just cut the video and obviously, the internet gonna take it and run whatever they need to run with. I've been doing the same ritual since I've been in the league.

"As far as the other video, I was actually talking to the coaches, and they cut that video in half as well. I was talking to the coaches about a missed coverage. ... You can cut any video and make anything you want out of it. ... I know I'm a genuine team player, and I've never had a problem being with my teammates."

Russell Westbrook's teammates have always spoken highly of the all-time triple-double leader. Recently, Bradley Beal talked about how much of a great teammate Westbrook was in their time together with the Washington Wizards.