• D’Angelo Russell thinks the improvements in his game have gone unnoticed
• He cited his improved shooting efficiency on Patrick Beverley’s podcast
• Russell re-signed with the Lakers for two years, $37 million after a tough postseason
D’Angelo Russell was crucial for the Lakers when they were making their run from the 11th seed in the West to the seventh seed to secure a playoff berth.
Due to the bad taste of Russell’s playoff performances left, he has received a lot of criticism. The former All-Star thinks the improvements in his game went unnoticed last season.
(Starts at 1:05:54)
“They ain’t talking about it, Pat! The f**k I gotta do, Pat? You want me to play point guard, I played point guard. You want me to play shooting guard, what do y’all want from me, man? I’m going 40 for three, what y’all want man?”
Russell did have a strong regular season over the Wolves and Lakers, averaging 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on 39.6% three-point efficiency.
The reason people are ignoring that is that he couldn’t replicate it in the playoffs, averaging 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 32.3% shooting from the field in the Lakers’ Conference Finals sweep loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Lakers Keeping Their Core Intact
Outside of fringe rotational players, the Lakers brought back most of their high-value players this season. This includes D’Lo, along with Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. Keeping these pieces and adding solid rotational depth around them with Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes is great work by Rob Pelinka.
If Russell wants more people to recognize the growth in his game, he’ll have to prioritize being a better defensive threat for the roster. In addition, he also needs to find ways to find consistency and be a reliable 15-point scorer for the Lakers at the minimum.
With LeBron James and Anthony Davis motivated to make the most of next season, one which could see both players leave the franchise at the end of it, this Lakers roster will be a threat to contend atop the Western Conference.
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