Ever since he started coming off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers, Russell Westbrook looked like an entirely different player. He's fully embraced his role with the second unit, and it has clearly paid dividends for both himself and his team.

Russ has been so impressive that at this point, the Lakers front office seemed to have reconsidered their stance on a potential Westbrook trade. According to NBA insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, executives from around the league seem to believe that the Lakers “will stand pat and ride out the Westbrook experiment if he continues to produce off the bench.”

One team that Westbrook has been linked to is the Indiana Pacers. The same executives believe, however, that acquiring Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Pacers in exchange for some sort of Russ-centered trade package won't really help the cause for the Lakers.

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All this doesn't come as a complete shock considering how Westbrook has been on a very impressive resurgence of late. So much so, that there has now been talk about Russ establishing himself as a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

It's also no secret that despite their previous efforts, the Lakers have found it very difficult to move Russell Westbrook and his gargantuan contract. In this respect, LA could not have wished for a better development than Russ embracing his demotion to the bench. You have to give a lot of credit to the man for his willingness to set his ego aside for the betterment of his team — and his career as well.