D'Angelo Russell didn't exactly end the 2023-24 season for the Los Angeles Lakers on the best of notes. Russell, during the 2023 Western Conference Finals, struggled immensely from the field, leading to his eventual benching during their season-ending defeat to the Denver Nuggets. In fact, D-Lo became a meme after he made it a habit to put up shots after a loss only for it not to matter when the real game begins.
Nevertheless, Russell figures to play a huge part for the Lakers in the upcoming season. He should start the year as their starting point guard, providing spacing and playmaking alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves. Now with more time to acclimate himself with the team, Russell could be in for a big year, according to his backcourt mate.
“Just having that preseason—these games, training camp and all that was gonna benefit [D'Angelo Russell] in a lot of ways,” Reaves said in his postgame presser after the Lakers' preseason win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. “I kindly remind him all the time that there's probably not anybody that can guard him.”
With the Lakers, D'Angelo Russell doesn't need to be the go-to-guy or the unstoppable shot creator many thought he could be when he reached the peak of his career with the Nets four years ago. He needs to be nailing the little things, such as making the right read on the pick-and-rolls, learning to better balance his scoring tendencies with his playmaking duties, as well as knowing where his teammates are at all times given his responsibilities as a secondary conductor of the offense.
Austin Reaves then knows that with the benefit of more continuity, Russell should have a much more fruitful season for the Lakers than he did last season.
“Just having that mindset of knowing what's gonna happen basically every possession and being able to control that, that will benefit him a lot. He's been super confident as always,” Reaves added.
It also helps that the Lakers have Gabe Vincent to give D'Angelo Russell some competition for minutes, which could then help bring out an even deadlier version of D-Lo in the coming campaign.