D’Angelo Russell’s second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers has gone well so far and he played his part in their remarkable turnaround in this campaign.
He’ll be a free agent in the summer, though and NBA insider Eric Pincus believes Russell will re-sign with the Lakers.
“L.A. may not offer as much as he’s currently earning ($31.4 million in the final year of his deal),” Pincus wrote. “But Russell could earn a similar deal to Jalen Brunson’s $26 million-per-year contract.”
“The Lakers will have to mind the rest of their roster to avoid significant tax penalties with the new rules, but that shouldn’t get in the way of bringing back the 27-year-old guard. Russell could look for more elsewhere but may find the market is sparse.”
“Most of the teams that could use him can’t afford him…. A return to Los Angeles seems inevitable.”
Russell has averaged 16.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 6.1 APG in these playoffs for the Lakers. He hasn’t shot the ball well but was hitting 41.4% of his threes during the regular season for L.A. He is a much better fit than Russell Westbrook was for this team, and while he is a bit inconsistent, he has proven to be a good acquisition.
He and the rest of the new arrivals before the trade deadline helped the Lakers post a 16-7 record after the All-Star break, which was the best record in the Western Conference. Head coach Darvin Ham reflected on the moves that have helped his team flip the switch as they are now in a great position to get to the Western Conference Finals, something that was unimaginable before those trades.
D’Angelo Russell’s Impact In The Playoffs
Russell played well in Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors with 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists on 9-19 shooting from the field but struggled in Game 2 like the rest of the team. He only had 11 points but did dish out 8 assists as the Lakers were blown out.
It continued a theme in these playoffs, where the Lakers have won every game where Russell has scored at least 17 points but have lost on the three occasions that he hasn’t hit that mark. He’ll be hoping to ball out in these next two home games, and if the Lakers win both, they’ll be in total control of this series.
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