Russell Westbrook appears to be settling into his role as the first player off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers. After his best game of the young 2022-23 NBA season, the veteran is viewed as a potential candidate to win one of the league's individual awards.

Westbrook has +3600 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to become the Sixth Man of the Year. While those odds don't make the Lakers point guard one of the favorites, only two players are given a better chance to win the award.

Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole is the betting favorite with -110 odds. Dallas Mavericks big man Christian Wood is his biggest challenger with +410 odds. Up next is Westbrook at +3600, tied with Indiana Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin and Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon.

Westbrook has come off the bench in each of the last two games. The 33-year-old had his best game of the season in the Lakers' most recent contest, a 121-110 win over the Denver Nuggets. Westbrook had 18 points on six-of-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists. The Lakers outscored the Nuggets by 18 points in Westbrook's 32 minutes on the floor.

Overall, Westbrook's stats still leave a lot to be desired. He's averaging 13.4 points on 34.3% field-goal shooting and 20% shooting from 3-point range. Westbrook's 4.8 assists per game are a career low.

Westbrook has been in trade rumors since last season. It's still possible that Westbrook could be dealt before the 2023 trade deadline.

When the Lakers were unable to trade Westbrook in the offseason, it became clear that his best role on the team would be off the bench. The point guard is a poor fit in the same lineup as LeBron James, who also dominates the ball and remains one of the best players in the league.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham initially said that he viewed Westbrook as a starter in Los Angeles. That seemed to change as Opening Night got closer and Westbrook came off the bench in a preseason game.

Westbrook won the MVP award six seasons ago.

Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates after scoring a basket and getting fouled against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Crypto.com Arena on October 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images