NBA Rumors: Lakers to be without Russell Westbrook in season-opener?

NBA Rumors: Now that he’s officially listed day-to-day with an injury, there seems to be a chance that Russell Westbrook will miss the Los Angeles Lakers season-opener.

The 2022-23 NBA season begins Tuesday, October 18. The new season will tip off with a doubleheader that will feature the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Boston Celtics followed by the Los Angeles Lakers squaring off with the Golden State Warriors.

However, there’s a growing chance that the Lakers may not be at full strength when they face off against the defending champions.

That’s because Russell Westbrook has officially been labeled as day-to-day with a hamstring injury. He sustained the injury during the team’s final preseason game. What does this all mean? There’s a chance the Lakers will be without Westbrook for the season opener.

The injury doesn’t seem like a long-term concern for Russell Westbrook

From all the reporting surrounding the injury, there doesn’t seem to be much concern around the injury. It’s labeled as “soreness” and that’s much better than if it was categorized as a “pull” or “strain.”

It’s still something to keep an eye on. Hamstring injuries in sports are almost impossible to predict and you never know how a player is going to react during the rehab process.

And if there’s one thing we know about Russ, it’s that he’s one of the toughest players in history. If he can play through the injury, he’s probably going to try. At this point, if I had to make a prediction, I would think that he’s going to be ready for opening night. But, again, a lot can change and it’s impossible to predict how the injury will react on Tuesday morning.

All in all, this is tough news for the Lakers. They can’t afford to be battling injuries this early in the season and certainly not from one of its core players. No matter what you may say about Russ, he’s a key part of this team’s plan for the season at the moment.

The Lakers are going to try and make it work with Russ – whether that’s in a starting role or being a leader off the bench. Not having him active and healthy is not a good thing. And it certainly won’t help the trade front either.

The hope is that when the Lakers take the floor to play the Warriors Russ will be in uniform. But that’s far from certainty right now.