Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell is looking to improve an overlooked part of his game heading into the 2023-24 season. Russell re-signed with Los Angeles this past summer after the team's deep playoff run in 2023, and the Lakers are now hoping that Russell will be able to improve his defense to help supplement his elite offensive arsenal.

Russell himself is now acknowledging his past defensive struggles and how they factored into his playing time in last year's playoff run.

“Last year, they found a way to get me off the floor by not playing defense I guess,” said Russell, per Jesse Cinquini of Lakers Daily. “So try to be a reason to eliminate that and not give them a reason to not have me on the floor. Try to be as dangerous as I can on offense and try not to be a liability on defense.”

Scoring the basketball has never been a problem for D'Angelo Russell. Since he was drafted by the Lakers in 2015 and during his subsequent NBA stops before his return to the Purple & Gold, the former Ohio State Buckeye has always been able to create his own offense and keep defenses honest with his perimeter shooting ability.

While he is far from a traffic cone on defense, his shortcomings on that end of the floor were amplified by opponents, especially during the Lakers' Western Conference Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets. If Russell comes through on his promise to improve, the Lakers could be that much more dangerous heading into this season.