D’Angelo Russell has been under a lot of scrutiny lately. The Los Angeles Lakers came very close to trading him once again. Last season did not end as well as D’Lo expected it to. When he returned to the Lakers back in February, there was a lot of expectation around him. Moreover, D’Lo did exceedingly well in the regular season last time. Without D’Lo, it would have been very difficult for the 17-time champions even to make the postseason.
He became an integral part of the starting lineup, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves. But for some reason, he could not capitalize on the momentum in the postseason. Moreover, experts and fans criticized D’Lo for his weak defense. As it seems, D’Lo Russell is working night and day on improving his defensive skills. Moreover, the Los Angeles Times reports that D’Angelo Russell is trying to be an all-round player for the next season.
D’Angelo Russell On His Way To Be An All-Round Player For The Lakers
Recently, in an interview, D’Lo mentioned he doesn’t want to give any opportunity to the coaching staff to sit him out. Russell believes Ham sat him out in the Western Conference Finals because of his shortcomings at defense. He says he doesn’t want to be a liability in defense anymore. It is true that the Denver Nuggets were attacking Russell in the WCF because they knew he was the weakest link in the Laker’s defense. But Russell’s teammates Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura praised his determination to get better on defense.
More importantly, Russell is trying to be an all-round team player. Hachimura said D’Angelo Russell has become more vocal during game time, which is great. As a leader and point guard, he wants to contribute to the team. Both Hachimura and Reaves feel the team has a lot of faith and confidence in D’Angelo Russell. They know how lethal D’Lo can be at offense. But he is taking up the responsibility to improve at defense as well. It is nothing but great news for the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 2023-24 season.
D’Lo Went Through A Pretty Difficult Offseason
D’Angelo Russell’s accuracy with the three-point shooting got really low on average. The fans blamed him for the team’s failure in the conference finals. Later, in the offseason, the rumor was Russell was moving to the Miami Heat. Moreover, the Lakers did not bother to make him a restricted free agent like Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves were. D’Lo was an unrestricted agent in the free agency. However, it turned out no other team pressed too hard for D’Angelo Russell either. Later, the LA Lakers resigned him for another two years with a player option in his second year.
The contract extension was worth $37 million. Moreover, it seems like D’Angelo Russell is on a mission at present. In the current preseason, D’Lo has been shocking the fans with his unbelievable performances. Moreover, Darvin Ham has faith in D’Angelo Russell. Prior to the preseason games, the Lakers Head Coach mentioned in a news conference that D’Lo would be their fourth starter. Hence, the last few preseason games proved that D’Angelo Russell is trying his best to live up to the coach’s expectations.