The Los Angeles Lakers are having a tough December, having lost five of their last six games. In that time, D’Angelo Russell’s struggles have been more prevalent than all. After a hot start to the season, D’Lo has been hurting the Lakers offense in recent games with his inefficient shooting. He’s been so inefficient all of December that he’s only had one game where he had more points than shots.
December 2nd – Houston: 9 points on 4/10
December 5th – Phoenix: 8 points on 3/11
December 7th – New Orleans: 14 points on 6/10
December 9th – Indiana: 13 points on 6/15
December 12th – Dallas: 7 points on 3/9
December 13th – San Antonio: 12 points on 6/13
December 18th – New York: 9 points on 3/10
December 20th – Chicago: 2 points on 1/6
December 21st – Minnesota: 17 points on 7/19
DLo has only 1 game in December with more points than shot attempts
byu/BritzlBen inlakers
The only game where he managed to have more points than shots was in a 40-point win in the In-Season Tournament over the Pelicans. He missed one game against the Spurs in this stretch as well, a game which the Lakers shockingly lost. Over December, Russell is averaging 10.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 9 games on 37.8% from the field and 25.6% from three.
Offensive struggles like this will not be tolerable for the Lakers after a while. With the winter trade season almost upon us, Russell may be expendable to the Lakers with his low defensive acumen coupled with an inability to score. The second he gets hot, he reminds everyone of why he’s valuable. But can the Lakers afford another Russell cold spell like they saw in the Western Conference Finals? Possibly not.
Calls To Trade D’Angelo Russell Away Already Spreading
The closer we get to the new year, the more people start talking about the trade market. When it comes to the Lakers, the one name that seems easily dispensable to fans is D’Angelo Russell. Kendrick Perkins even went on ESPN and blasted Russell, claiming the Lakers should trade him away for a box of candles.
“It’s about D’Angelo Russell. Right now, I would trade him for a box of Christmas candles and a lifelong supply of Christmas lights. That’s how horrible he’s been.”
That was a harsh take on a former All-Star, but it can’t be argued that Russell has done more harm to the Lakers recently than good. The Lakers will not jump the gun on any trades, so he should at least have the month of January to prove his value to the franchise.
He’s averaging 15.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on the season as a whole. These numbers aren’t insignificant, so a Russell trade will have to be carefully thought out by the Lakers.
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