Preseason Huddle Video and Explanations

On October 13, 2022, in a preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, cameras captured a moment in which Patrick Beverley appeared to summon teammates into a quick on-court huddle. A clip circulated showing Russell Westbrook on the perimeter not joining the huddle, fueling renewed speculation about lingering friction between the two newly minted teammates. The Los Angeles Times later provided context: “Later, another angle ... showed him talking with Lakers coaches before Anthony Davis tried to pull him into the huddle” [9]. The Times piece also quoted Westbrook’s own explanation the next day: “I was actually talking to the coaches ... about a missed coverage” [9]. This framing suggested the moment was a function of in-game communication rather than a refusal to participate. Given the pair’s history—from the 2013 collision through 2019’s “Pat Bev trick y’all” and the December 2019 ejection-and-wave—observers were primed to interpret even ambiguous preseason clips through the feud’s lens [3][1][6]. The alternate-angle footage and Westbrook’s explicit comment served as rapid, primary-source corrections, turning what looked like a snub into a timing and positioning issue amid live coaching adjustments [9].

The clip’s initial reception illustrated how the Westbrook–Beverley history can foreground benign moments with conflict narratives. The prompt appearance of corroborating angles and Westbrook’s quote provided a case study in media amplification: partial footage can mislead, and added context can recalibrate public interpretation [9]. In a season that began with Beverley publicly praising Westbrook at media day, this incident reinforced the notion that their Lakers tenure skewed toward professionalism—even when viral content suggested otherwise [8][9].

Following the clarification, coverage moved on without disciplinary action or further teammate commentary contradicting Westbrook’s account. The anecdote now sits alongside Beverley’s media day remarks as evidence that, in 2022, both players sought coexistence under the Lakers banner rather than escalation. In the larger chronology, the preseason clip demonstrates how their feud’s past gravitates attention toward minor interactions, and how official angles and direct quotes can stabilize the record quickly [8][9].