Since returning to the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell has struggled to find a permanent role in the rotation.From starter to sixth man to bench player, Russell’s role has diminished greatly over the past few weeks as he has struggled to hit shots on the court.
Now, for the first time since things turned sour, Russell addressed the situation and set the record straight on where he stands on it all.
“I get into my flow stat e in the pick and roll, when it come sit the game,” said Russell on ‘The Back Yard’ podcast. “So if I can tap into pick and rolls and control who;’s guarding me it allows me to control the game. If I miss y’all just took me out the game. But if I’m getitng to do what I know I can do, I feel like that’s when I’m at my best… when I have a roller and a shooter.”
From the statement here, it’s clear that Russell wants more ocntorl of the offense. Instead of playing off ball and acting as more of a catch-and-shoot player, Russell prefers to handle the ball for himself and run sets for others. Unfortunately for Russell, the Lakers are best when LeBron James is orchestrating the offense and it complicates the whole situation.
D’Angelo Russell Is A Problem
In theory, D’Angelo Russell should be the kind of player that the Lakers are coveting but his need for the ball and his inconsistent shooting means he has no place alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The fact that he’s a liability on defense doesn’t help Russell’s case either, and means that he can ony be effective when he’s scoring the ball. These factors have led to a storm of chaos this season and Russell’s stats are down across the baord after a strong start. Through 34 games, he’s averaging 146 points, 6.1 assists, and 0.8 steals per game on 46% shooting.
Arguably the lowest point of the season for D’Lo came on Tuesday, when he played just 17 minutes against the Toronto Raptors. He managed to score 11 points, but he was outplayed by other bench players like Max Christie, Christian Wood, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Without Russell, and Gabe Vincent still yet to return to action, the Lakers have been left with no solutions for the hole in their backcourt. For now, they seem to be stabilizing after a recent skid but things could get ugly if the losses start to pile up again.
Tough Decisions For Darvin Ham
There is no denying that the Lakers coach will have some difficult choices ahead. He’s finally starting Austin Reaves after pressure from the fans, but the plan for Cam Reddish remains a mystery for everyone right now as his minutes dwindle with each passing week. There’s also the matter of Austin Reaves, who has finally earned a spot in the starting lineup. After rumors of a “problem” between Reaves and Ham, it’ll be intersting to see how long he stays with the starters.
At the center of it all is D’Angelo Russell. Whether he’s traded or not this season, whatever happens over the next few weeks will push the team into a direction one way or the other. The ball is in his court now to accept his role, become the player the Lakers need him to be, and prove all the doubrs wrong once and for all.
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