D’Angelo Russell is being scrutinized heavily for his recent performance in the Lakers’ first-round series against the Grizzlies, averaging 12.0 points on 31.1% efficiency.
Russell was asked about his struggles after the game and he told everyone that he is not a point guard on the Lakers but instead, he’s just a basketball player.
“I’m a basketball player, you can’t keep saying, point guard… Basketball player with this team, a basketball player with this team, not really a point guard role.”
"I'm a basketball player, you can't keep saying point guard. … Basketball player with this team, basketball player with this team, not really a point guard role."
– D’Angelo Russell đŸ˜³
(Via @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/h863lR31KX
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) April 20, 2023
It’s hard to be the primary creator on a team with LeBron James due to LBJ’s incredible playmaking talent. The Lakers’ 2020 title was built on the back of LeBron leading the league in assists and playing point guard for them that season.
Most coaches would ask LeBron to be the primary playmaker and ball-handler on their team, especially when the other option is an inefficient and turnover-prone D’Angelo Russell.
Is It Hard For Point Guards To Play With LeBron James?
Over the last decade and more of LeBron’s career, he has never had a bonafide point guard on his team. Dwyane Wade was a two-guard, Kyrie Irving was a score-first combo guard, and the Lakers completely bombed when they added Russell Westbrook, a player that took the ball out of LBJ’s hands for less efficient possessions.
James isn’t the be-all-end-all ball-handler for the Lakers but it’s easier for everyone to trust him with the ball more, especially in a playoff situation. Russell is in the Kyrie mold of being a score-first point guard but he has shown his playmaking chops before. He’s averaging 5.5 assists in this series as well, proving to some degree that he can run as the point guard more often.
Positions are outmoded in modern basketball anyway. Hopefully, the Lakers can find a consistent and solid for D’Lo as soon as possible to keep their playoff chances alive.
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