Frank Vogel Vocal on Why Benching Russell Westbrook Was Right Decision vs. Knicks

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks in overtime. Well, Russell Westbrook didn’t play in the final minutes of the game. Wonder why? He was benched. Head coach Frank Vogel thought benching Westbrook was a good decision for the team. This was his second benching. Why did Vogel bench his veteran?

“Obviously, Russ was having a tough night on both sides of the ball,” he said. “LeBron was really going, so I knew the ball was going to be in Bron’s hands. I felt like we were going to get more from a defensive perspective and off-ball action with Talen. You just make tough decisions in the spirit of whatever a team needs to win a game.”

Frank Vogel considered benching Westbrook because the veteran struggled

When Vogel benched Westbrook a few weeks ago, he said it was the right decision. Wonder why? He wanted to use players who can actually win games. Broddie wasn’t one of them. He ended up on the bench in the final minutes of the game. The same happened last night. Westbrook struggled too much. He had to go. Vogel used Talen Horton-Tucker and it was a good move because the Lakers finished the night with a 122-115 win.

Vogel would bench anyone who struggles during games. He would always use someone who can pull out a better performance. There’s nothing wrong with these scenarios.

“If someone’s not playing well enough and they don’t get to finish the game or get to close the game out, there’s nothing wrong with giving somebody else you feel is going to give you a better chance, giving them that opportunity,” Vogel added. “And hopefully the response is, that player plays better. That’s the hope.”

The Lakers will need to get every bit of Westbrook’s talent. They brought Westbrook in for a reason. Rob Pelinka traded Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell to get him. The team wouldn’t trade him at this point of the regular season but he may not stay in LA for too long. Pelinka would never keep someone who struggles to make an impact.