Lakers News: Russell Westbrook Appeared To Avoid His Teammates In A Pregame Huddle

Russ proved to be very huddle-averse last night.

It turns out that Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook's third quarter "snub" of a team huddle before the club eventually fell 118-113 to the Timberwolves in a meaningless preseason game last night actually marked the second instance in that game alone where the 6'3" point guard appeared to avoid a team huddle.

The Athletic points out that, while the team congregated for a pregame huddle last night, Westbrook chose to remove his sweats and towel off a bit ahead of his L.A. colleagues.

Russell Westbrook appeared to stand off to the side during the Lakers’ pregame huddle on Wednesday against the Timberwolves.

🎥 @_michaelmorales10 on Instagram pic.twitter.com/DAVkZISSwv

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 13, 2022

The real question following these videos is: is this a big deal, a little deal, or no deal at all?

Both snubs appear to be more or less incidental, as if Westbrook is tuned out or in his own head as he preps for the game whistle to go off again. It's hard to ascribe malicious intent to these actions. The former nine-time All-Star may not be fully engaged with his teammates, but that could just as easily be a function of the 33-year-old being in his own little universe (which, to be fair, isn't great for team chemistry), rather than being some indication that there's trouble in paradise.

It's no secret that the Lakers want to trade Russell Westbrook. It's barely a secret that Russell Westbrook wants the Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook. That honestly does not seem to be an issue here. NBA Twitter, during the preseason, is desperate to parse some tea leaves for drama. Westbrook's ill-fated 2021-22 debut season with his hometown team offered plenty of that. But these two moments, to this writer at least, do not seem to suggest that there is some dramatic Laker locker room chaos bubbling beneath the surface.

The bigger issue, by far, might be one Lakers fans don't want to address just yet: this Lakers team (1-4 in the preseason) just doesn't look very good.