D'Angelo Russell has been treated as the scapegoat for the Los Angeles Lakers ever since he was reacquired by the team at the 2023 NBA trade deadline. While things did not necessarily go as planned for Russell last season in terms of getting benched in the postseason, the 28-year-old guard has really turned things around this season for the Lakers.
His recent stretch of games has many calling Russell the savior of the Lakers' season. But this was not always the case, as he was involved in numerous trade rumors just over a month ago.
The notion that the Lakers were going to once again deal Russell gained steam ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline, especially with the team's pursuit of Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. Russell struggled in the month of December, averaging just 10.2 points and 5.4 assists per game, and the Lakers as a whole had begun to freefall down the Western Conference standings following their In-Season Tournament championship.
All of this trade noise didn't seem to bother Russell, though, and he immediately began to turn things around when the Lakers needed him most. The former All-Star went on to average 22.7 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent from three-point range in the month of January, silencing all of those who were calling for change in Los Angeles.
Even with external forces urging the Lakers and general manager Rob Pelinka to move Russell for another player, the Lakers held true to what they believed in.
Lakers never gave up on D'Angelo Russell
Last season, the Lakers benched D'Angelo Russell in the postseason in order to start Dennis Schroder. This led to them getting swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. The constant shift in roles and minutes in the rotation messed with Russell's ability to be effective for the Lakers. Splitting time with Schroder also played a role in Russell not being able to carve out his identity last year.
“His relationship with Darvin [Ham] is the reason I couldn't have a relationship with Darvin,” Russell said of Schroder, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “When I was struggling, I would've been able to come to the coach and say, ‘Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.' Instead, there was no dialogue. … I just accepted it. And we got swept and I'm here and he's not. And I like our chances.”
Aside from building a relationship with Ham, Russell has continued to build a strong bond with his teammates. This is partly due to his play, but in large part due to his mindset of staying focused on the task at hand.
Winning is all that matters to the Lakers and their fans, which is why Russell never gave up at any point this season, even when he was hearing his name in numerous trade rumors every day. For LeBron James, this spoke volumes about the type of player and person Russell is.
“It takes a strong individual, especially when you're hearing everything that goes around,” James said, via ESPN. “You're hearing the trade talks, you're hearing this and that and whatever the case may be and ‘Is D-Lo the right fit?' or whatever. One thing is, he just don't waver.
“We never gave up on him either. Even when he went to the bench, we just still wanted to instill confidence in him because we knew we were going to need him. We need his ability — his uncanny ability — to rack up points in a bundle very fast.”
The Lakers have gone 5-4 this season without James on the floor. One of the main reasons they have been able to keep things afloat without their leader is due to Russell's contributions and stepping up when the team needs him. According to McMenamin, Russell has averaged 21.7 points and 10.7 assists per game in games James hasn't played this season, leading the Lakers to their 5-4 record without the league's all-time leading scorer.
Since the start of 2024, Russell has left no doubt in Los Angeles that he is the third-best player on this team alongside LeBron and Anthony Davis. In 29 games during this span, Russell has averaged 21.6 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 44.9 percent from three-point range. He has scored at least 20 points in 16 of these 29 games, including a season-high 44 points on 9-of-12 shooting from deep against the Milwaukee Bucks this past Friday. As a team, the Lakers have gone 19-10 in this span with Russell on the floor.
The Lakers need James and Davis in order to be a championship-contending team, yet it has been Russell making all the headlines and leading the charge for his team.
“I really have fun out here. For real,” Russell stated. “And respectfully, my approach is ‘All these people came to see AD, LeBron … but I'm stealing the show.”
With 16 games remaining on their schedule, the Lakers find themselves at 36-30 overall, just 2.5 games back of the 6-seeded Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference. Even though it looks likely that they will have to earn a playoff spot via the play-in tournament, D'Angelo Russell and the Lakers are ready for the challenge ahead.
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