The Los Angeles Lakers, playing without Anthony Davis, dropped to 0-5 after losing 111-102 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, there were a few encouraging signs from their defeat, including Russell Westbrook's performance in his first game coming off the bench since his rookie season.

Westbrook's stat line won't blow anybody away: 18 points (6-of-17 shooting, 1-0f-4 from 3, 5-10 from the line), eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, five turnovers, an even plus/minus in 33 minutes. As per usual, though, the box score doesn't tell the whole story.

Westbrook, who made his sixth-man debut with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter, was a legitimate sparkplug for his shorthanded squad. Instead of giving off any sort of dejected or petulant vibes, he played with positive energy and vigor.

After starting 0-of-5 from the field, he converted his next four buckets, including a personal 6-o run. He helped spearhead a 7-0 run to close the first half. Despite the turnovers and low field goal percentage (the norm for him, regardless of role), he made a genuinely positive impact for the first time this season. LeBron James approved.

“He was great,” said James when asked about his Lakers teammate. “Definitely catapulted us. He was great all game.”

LeBron finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

Darvin Ham, too, praised Russ for his effort off the pine and indicated that he would stick with Westbrook in that role moving forward.

“Russ, my hats off to him once again,” said Ham. “Came off (the bench) and showed the type of impact he can have in that reserve role … Not just coming in and trying to maintain anything, but coming in and taking it up a notch. So, he was great in that role tonight, and I look forward to seeing him in it more once we get healthy bodies back.”

Westbrook, for his part, resisted the notion that his mentality was any different in his new gig. “It's still basketball,” he told reporters.