Westbrook cites 'sitting down for long stretches' as cause for current back pain

Embattled Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook had an interesting rationale for why he's currently experiencing tightness in his lower back, which resulted in him missing his first game of the season on Wednesday.

According to the once-indomitable superstar, his discomfort is in part due to not being "accustomed to sitting down for long stretches and getting up and then like moving quickly," per Silver Screen and Roll's Harrison Faigen.

Though the 33-year-old's current workload of 34.6 minutes per game is virtually identical to his career average of 34.7, Westbrook has been benched down the stretch in several outings this season, an unfamiliar position for a player named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in October.

In his most recent appearance - Tuesday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks - Westbrook didn't appear past the 2:34 mark of the third quarter; he finished as a minus-16 in the 15-point loss. Westbrook had experienced back pain during that contest, too.

"I want to make sure that I'm doing all the proper things and making sure I can stay healthy and be my best for my teammates when I'm on the floor," Westbrook added on Friday.

To date, Westbrook's 46.7% effective field-goal rate is his worst scoring efficiency since 2014-15, while his current 18.3% turnover rate would represent a new career low. Among 23 players with a higher usage rate than Westbrook, only former teammate James Harden has coughed up more turnovers per 100 possessions.

Overall, the Lakers are 26-30 on the year and trail the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets - the cutoff to avoid the play-in tournament - by five games with a third of the regular season left to play.