The Los Angeles Lakers are expecting their former point guard D'Angelo Russell to be out for blood upon his return to the Staples Center tonight.
Russell and the Brooklyn Nets will benefit from being the only team in the league to play only two games this week while the Lakers will play the back end of a back-to-back after a three-point loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and loss of their starting power forward Larry Nance Jr.
The Ohio State product has gotten off to a strong start this season, making up for the season-opener loss of Jeremy Lin with a ruptured patella tendon. Russell is coming off a season-high 33 points in a showdown against fellow draft mate Devin Booker and could have more in the bag for his former team after being traded this offseason along with Timofey Mozgov for center Brook Lopez.
Former backcourt mate Jordan Clarkson is sure Russell is coming with a vengeance during his return.
“Oh, he's going to be fired up,” Clarkson said of his former teammate, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. “S***, he'll try to go for 30? 40? I don't know how many shots he's gonna put up. He's gonna come in here, he's gonna try to get a win for sure. He's definitely going to put them up.”
President Magic Johnson noted upon his trade that this would make way for Lonzo Ball to start at the point guard position, questioning Russell's leadership on the way. Many feel Russell has kept that as motivation, despite not making much of it when asked about how it made him feel.
“Hell, yeah,” Clarkson said. “He probably ain't gonna state it [how he knows about the leadership comment] but that's D-Lo. He'll keep it under him, and when he comes out on the court, he's going to try to put on.
Russell has put up 20 or more shots three different times this season, all resulting in losses for the Nets. The third-year lefty guard is averaging 21.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.1 rebounds through the first eight games of the season.
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