The trading extravaganza leading up to 2023 NBA trade deadline saw many familiar faces return to familiar places. Included in that list is D'Angelo Russell, whom the Los Angeles Lakers acquired (along with Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt) in the long overdue Russell Westbrook trade. It seems like seeing players return to their first NBA homes is making former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma feel some kind of special way towards the team he began his career with.

Tuning into the Lakers' Wednesday night clash against the New Orleans Pelicans, Kuzma expressed his excitement over watching Russell play his first-ever game with LeBron James on his official Twitter account.

“Yea dlo,” Kuzma wrote.

This naturally urged some Lakers fans on Twitter to try their luck and convince Kyle Kuzma to join forces with D'Angelo Russell and company in LA. Perhaps the Lakers could revisit re-acquiring Kuzma in the offseason. But for now, the Lakers have more pressing matters in their hands. The Lakers, following their 120-102 victory over the Pelicans, still remain two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 10th and final play-in spot.

On paper, Russell profiles as a much-better fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis than Russell Westbrook ever was. And on Wednesday night, D-Lo showed as much after impressing in his first game with The King. D-Lo tallied 21 points and seven dimes on 5-12 shooting from the field (3-5 from deep) and 8-10 from the charity stripe – a solid outing for someone whose stock has dropped in recent seasons.

At the very least, the threat of D'Angelo Russell's outside shot should make him less of a scapegoat than Russell Westbrook. Kyle Kuzma embodies the subsection of Lakers fans who believe with all their hearts that the addition of D-Lo should help the Lakers achieve their goal of making the postseason this year.

The slate, however, doesn't get any easier for LA. After the All-Star break, the Lakers will face seven straight teams currently in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. But if Russell continues his strong play, and LeBron James manages to remain healthy, the Lakers should be able to keep up in the congested playoff picture.