The Los Angeles Lakers had made the decision to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench moving forward. That's potentially changed for Friday's matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to Anthony Davis missing out with back soreness.

Via Woj and Dave McMenamin:

“Anthony Davis is out tonight, per the Lakers. Lower back tightness.”

“The Lakers' plan remains to transition Westbrook to a role as the lead playmaker with the second unit, but Darvin Ham has a decision to make whether that role will begin tonight.”

The Lakers are trying to get the best out of Russ and that could mean letting him run the second unit. As for AD, he's expected to likely play in LA's next game, as Darvin Ham noted.

Via Jon Krawczynski:

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“The back is a tricky thing.” Said he felt good this morning but said sometimes when you’re away from home in a different bed you can sleep on it wrong. “We feel good about him being available the next game.”

Anthony Davis came up hobbling with soreness in the Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets earlier in the week, therefore it's not exactly a surprise here, especially given his injury history. One can only hope he's back soon, as Ham stated.

The head coach also said that he's still not sure if Westbrook will be in the starting five on Friday or begin his new role. Via Kyle Goon:

“Darvin Ham said it hasn’t been decided yet if Westbrook will start tonight against Minnesota.”

Whether he starts or not, the Lakers' search for their first win will be even more difficult without AD on the floor. An 0-5 start is sounding more and more realistic.