Russell Westbrook III

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the LA Lakers are firing HC Frank Vogel after coaching the team since 2019.

Fantasy Impact

The 2020 World Champion head coach has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the LA Lakers. Vogel, who signed an original three-year contract in 2019 and received a one-year extension through 2022-23 this past offseason, said following Sunday's game that he hadn't been told anything about his future with the team. After coaching the team to a top-10 offense and defense in 2020, the veteran head coach saw his team slip outside the top-10 in offense while ranking 21st in defensive rating. Quinn Synder remains the favorite to take over as head coach of the Lakers in 2022.

Lakers G Russell Westbrook has officially been ruled out for Thursday's game against Golden State according to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Fantasy Impact

Westbrook is dealing with soreness in his right shoulder and will miss his first game since February 9. Now that the Lakers have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, it remains to be seen if Russ will sit out the two remaining games against Oklahoma City and Denver as well. Austin Reaves and D.J. Augustine should see increased roles against Golden State with Westbrook out.

Russell Westbrook III (shoulder) is considered questionable to play in Thursday night's game against the Golden State Warriors.

Fantasy Impact

Westbrook is a new addition to the injury report, and despite playing Tuesday, he is listed as questionable for Thursday. It's unclear if he will miss any time, but if he isn't well enough to play against the Warriors, the team may opt to shut him down for the season, since they are out of contention. Fantasy managers can look for Austin Reaves and Malik Monk to see additional minutes if the veteran guard is inactive.

Russell Westbrook III put up 28 points (10-20 FG, 22-3 3PT, 6-8 FT), five rebounds, and three assists in the loss to the Suns.

Fantasy Impact

The former MVP has turned it on as of late but seems to be a case of too little too late. He has strung together quite a few 20+ point performances and has shown flashes of vintage Westbrook. It will be interesting to see what kind of minutes he gets with the play-in officially out of reach.

Russell Westbrook finished with 27 points (11-15 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 5-10 FT), ten rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact

Westbrook had an excellent game, but it was not enough to propel the Lakers past Denver on Sunday. He made several clutch shots, and distributed the ball well, but his teammates could not convert several shot attempts. Anthony Davis was also visibly limited on Sunday, and while he posted a solid stat-line, he was not himself. Russ has seemingly been the most healthy Laker all season, so some consistency from him will be needed to get the Lakers into the play-in tournament.