Young guard D’Angelo Russell showed some signs of life on Thursday after a brutal stretch of play. In 27 minutes, Russell finished with a team-high 19 points and 6 assists off the bench for his best game in a number of weeks. Of course, it still wasn’t enough to get a win against the Suns and Russell pointed to the lack of consistency as the biggest culprit in their defeat.
“I think it’s just a lot of holes in our system right now,” Russell said, via The Athletic. “You use the regular season to figure those things out, the ups and downs, the digression, the setbacks, all these things. Injuries just keep playing a part in our success.”
Russell went on to elaborate further on the issues, telling the media yesterday that his team is still trying to figure things out in the face of various obstacles
“I think we’re team that’s still trying to figure things out,” Russell said. “We’re still mixing and matching lineups, finishing groups, starting groups. So, we’re still figuring it out. So, I wouldn’t say panic, or anything like that. Last year was a prime example of this team not being where they wanted to be and we had some new energy, new vibes and it kind of made … it got us to where we ended off last year.”
Last year, the Lakers started even worse before stabilizing around mis-season to mount one of the most impressive late-season comebacks we’ve ever seen. D’Angelo Russell still believes the Lakers to do it again, but it will take a massive effort to pull it off.
What’s The Problem In Los Angeles?
It’s hard to just pick one factor as the reason for the Lakers’ struggles. In truth, it;’s been a mix of things that have caused their downfall, not the least of which is injuries. While LeBron and Davis have been mostly available, much of their supporting cast has been in and out of the injury report. In some cases, like it is with their newest signee Gabe Vincent, the players have barely played at all. Injuries are really just the start of the problems for the Lakers though.
Perhaps their most glaring issue right now is a lack of consistency from the supporting cast. This season guys like D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves were supposed to be a major part of their rotation but their roles have become complicated amid struggles on both ends of the floor. There are obviously other factors at play here, but if the Lakers can get healthy and get some stability from the role players, it would go a long way toward turning the season around.
Russell On The Trade Block?
For the Lakers to get better this season, they’ll need to bring in some help from the outside. As far as names go, Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine have both been mentioned as possible trade targets this season. Currently, the biggest need for the Lakers is shot-making on the perimeter, an area that D’Lo was supposed to help them in this season.
Unfortunately for D’Angelo, his three-point shot has been spotty at best this season, and we all know what he lacks on the other end of the floor. Just a few months into the season Russell lost his staring job and now his role in the rotation has never been lower. All signs are pointing toward another breakup for Russell and the Lake Show… and this time, it’ll be for good.
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