Russell Westbrook is favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year award

Coming into this season, Russell Westbrook was persona non grata in the Southland, as fans were blaming him for most of the troubles of the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

There was a faint hope that he could salvage something this year, but it was a very faint hope.

Perhaps the faint light at the end of the tunnel has now become much more visible.

Westbrook has largely played well in his new role coming off the bench, averaging 18.6 points on 49.5 percent shooting and 42.9 percent from 3-point range, 5.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists a game. As a result, Lakers fans are starting to shift their attitude toward him.

Head coach Darvin Ham said he wants the guard to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, and strangely enough, Westbrook is now the frontrunner to take home the award.

The season is only about three weeks old, so the former MVP still has a very long way to go before he can even start to think about winning the Sixth Man of the Year award.

But if he keeps up his efficiency while keeping his turnovers down, and especially if the Lakers start winning games with some sort of regularity, the seemingly unthinkable may actually come true.

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Story originally appeared on LeBron Wire