If D'Angelo Russell is going to be this dude, the Los Angeles Lakers won't necessarily need to seek outside reinforcements before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

In 36 minutes on Wednesday, a hyper-aggressive Russell poured in 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting (5-for-7 from 3), leading Los Angeles to an impressive 127-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. Russell handily outplayed Kyrie Irving — whom the Lakers nearly opted for instead of Russell. Irving finished with 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting.

“Phenomenal,” described Anthony Davis (28 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists). “Shooting ability, playmaking, taking the challenge defensively. He's been playing well as of late. Being DLo. The DLo we know he can be. It's definitely been giving us a spark.”

Like Russell, the Lakers' have temporarily calmed the waters. Los Angeles (21-21) has won four of their last six games after dropping 10 of 13 following the In-Season Tournament. Russell — who averaged 11.2 points on 41.8% shooting and was demoted to the bench during that swoon — has hooped with a newfound edge since regaining his starting gig. Over the past four games since returning from a tailbone injury — the last three as a starter — Russell has averaged 25.5 points on 52.7% shooting.

“I just know my credibility,” Russell told ClutchPoints about navigating the rocky stretch. “I know what I'm capable of. I'll never forget it. My confidence will always be high. I'll walk like that, talk like that, try to play like that, too.”

Against Dallas, the Lakers produced arguably their finest two-way performance of the season — their second straight win over a presumptive West playoff squad. Los Angeles dished 33 assists — their fifth straight outing with 30+ dimes. Russell only had four assists, but his opportune attacking created a slew of hockey assists.

Darvin Ham used the same superlative as AD when lauding the rejuvenated guard.

“His ability to quarterback through certain situations has been phenomenal,” said Ham from his dramatically cooled-down seat, thanks in large part to his recommitment to a Russell-Austin Reaves backcourt. “He started out great, went through a tough stretch, as we all do … But, he's fought through it. Playing in a really great rhythm and we need him to do that. His aggressiveness from the 3-point line, his ability to make plays in between, at the rim, with his passing. He's a dynamic player, and we're happy he's playing at that level and he's with us.”

“Just takes pressure off me and AD,” added LeBron James (25 points, eight rebounds, eight assists). “His ability to get points in bunches. … It's key.”

Russell, an All-Star in 2019, averaged 17.4 points, 6.1 assists and shot 41.4% from deep in 17 games (all starts) after last year's trade deadline. He was less effective in the postseason, culminating in Ham's decision to start Dennis Schroder for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. In their effort to prioritize continuity over star-chasing last offseason, the Lakers brought back Russell on a two-year, $36 million deal. As soon as the ink dried, DLo's player option for 2024-25 and his decision to waive his implied no-trade clause have placed his name at the forefront of trade rumors — a seemingly annual tradition.

Ham, however, envisions Russell as a central figure in another Lakers' midseason turnaround.

“We re-signed him because we knew he could help us. We still believe he can help us. We believe in him. Everyone keeps talking about — it's that time of the year I guess, with the trade talk … The reality of it is, we have what we had down the stretch last year, as well as more firepower. … We can stop looking around and just look at ourselves. There's a ton of excellent basketball that we can play. … He's right at the forefront of that.”

Maybe the Lakers had their third star all along.