Russell Westbrook made his highly-anticipated regular-season debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in a 121-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors. It was anything but a stellar performance from the former league MVP and it does feel like it's going to be a bumpy ride ahead for both Russ and the Lakers.

Purple & Gold icon Shaquille O'Neal has spoken out about Westbrook's fit with the team. According to Shaq, he does not envision Russ to play the role of a third superstar alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis:

“They still need role players, right?” O’Neal said, Broderick Turner of Los Angeles Times. “I see Russ as a role player, a damned good one, but he’s a role player. It’s LeBron first, AD second and then Russ. He can get his stuff on the break.”

Since his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook has been one of, if not the primary option on offense for his teams. He may have taken a bit of a step back playing with James Harden in Houston and again with Bradley Beal in Washington. However, this is definitely the first time Russ will be playing with two top-caliber superstars in LeBron and AD.

Russ will need to take a step back, and as Shaq said, be a role player for the Lakers this season. There has to be no room for ego on this LA side as this sensational experiment could very easily blow up in their faces if things don't go according to plan.