Russell Westbrook was relieved. He had to be … right? Westbrook’s 13-point, 13-assist effort Sunday was hardly a master class in point guard play, not when it took 15 shots to get those 13 points and not when the 13 assists were paired with nine turnovers. But the Lakers won, edging the Grizzlies to avoid an 0–3 start—and the drumbeat from the doomsayers from getting any louder.
A week into the NBA season and Los Angeles is, to paraphrase Dennis Green, what we thought they were. The 0–7 preseason foreshadowed early-season struggles, and they have been there.