D’Angelo Russell was singing Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s praises in the offseason, but he certainly hasn’t had the best of times under him. In fact, you might be surprised to know that Russell has averaged worse numbers under Redick than under any other coach in his career.
D’Angelo Russell’s Averages By Head Coach
Byron Scott: 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game
Luke Walton: 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game
Kenny Atkinson: 19.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game
Steve Kerr: 23.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game
Ryan Saunders: 20.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game
Chris Finch: 18.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game
Darvin Ham: 17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game
JJ Redick: 11.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game
I think what’s most shocking is that Russell was averaging more points as a rookie. The one-time All-Star was scoring more efficiently too, shooting 41.0% from the field in the 2015-16 season compared to 38.2% in 2024-25.
Redick is, in fact, the only coach under whom Russell has failed to shoot even 40.0% from the field. It is incredible just how bad the 28-year-old has been, despite being used in different roles.
Russell was a starter for the Lakers for the first eight games of this season but struggled, averaging 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. He shot just 37.5% from the field and 29.2% from beyond the arc in those games too.
After that, Redick decided to have Russell come off the bench, and the move worked initially. He shot 46.7% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc in his first four games as a reserve and it looked like a masterstroke from the head coach. Unfortunately, Russell followed it up by shooting 28.1% from the field and 15.0% from three in his last four games as a reserve.
I don’t think this is down to Redick misusing Russell in any way, but the fact is he has never struggled to this extent under anyone else. What is so ironic about this, is that a few months after getting the head coaching job, Redick revealed Russell was the player he had probably spoken to the most and he had this message for the guard.
“Let’s put you in position to have a career year.”
Well, this has been anything but a career year for Russell and the timing is absolutely terrible for him. The guard will be hitting free agency next summer and he certainly won’t get a big deal if he ends the season averaging those numbers.
There has been a lot of talk about the Lakers needing to trade Russell, but he himself might ask out at some point if this keeps up. He’ll be 29 when he becomes a free agent in 2025 and considering his age, it might be his last shot at a big payday.
For now, though, Russell would be focusing on performing well in the 10-6 Lakers’ next game, which is against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Tuesday at 10 PM ET.
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