The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in the Western Conference Finals as the seven seed. They also find themselves down one game in that series after a Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic did his thing, notching a triple-double before the third quarter was over. The Lakers stuck around, cutting a 20-point deficit down to three. The Nuggets hung on though and raised some questions about the Lakers starting lineup.
One of those questions is whether or not the Lakers might want to take D'Angelo Russell out of the starting lineup. Russell has started every game in the postseason to this point for the Lakers, averaging 15 points, 4.8 assists and 3 rebounds a game. He did not have a good Game 1 against the Nuggets, shooting 4-of-11 from the field to finish with eight points and three assists in 26 minutes.
“Multiple team sources told ESPN that there is concern the team could ‘lose' the 27-year-old point guard if he views the adjustment as a demotion after starting every other game this postseason,” Dave McMenamin said.
Upon his arrival after a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Russell was one of the sparkplugs for the Lakers in the second half. With Russell in the starting lineup this season the Lakers are 20-10, including the playoffs. Even with a few bad games, that record carries some weight with it.
D'Angelo Russell remains in the Lakers starting lineup for now and he's likely earned that, but LA might need to make a move if Russell's numbers don't improve in Game 2.
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