D’Angelo Russell’s future with the Los Angeles Lakers could change following the recent trend of good games. Russell started the season as a starter but head coach JJ Redick demoted the All-Star guard to the bench following a lowly start.
Russell averaged 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists across the first eight games. The Lakers guard has had a stroke of bad luck shooting the basketball, making 37.5% of his field goals and 29.2% from deep. Fortunately for the point guard, he found his rhythm as the team’s sixth man.
He continued to produce scoring off the bench, averaging 12.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. But in the five games he has started, Russell has improved his on-court consistency, shooting 40% from outside the arc and 46% from the field.
ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin reported that the front office could be more reluctant to trade him following his five-game stretch of efficient shooting.
“In talking to sources close to the Lakers, Russell playing well in this role might make them a little more reluctant to part with him, as bench unit seriously struggled with Gabe Vincent at the helm. If this is actually who Russell can be for the rest of the season, the Lakers might get even more picky about who they’d trade him for, or would look to find a more reliable option than Vincent as part of a Russell trade,” Irwin wrote.
The Lakers may be reluctant to trade D’Angelo Russell now that he has become impactful in his new role, per @AnthonyIrwinLA
“In talking to sources close to the Lakers, Russell playing well in this role might make them a little more reluctant to part with him, as bench unit… pic.twitter.com/cDTnZGT4uk
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 19, 2024
However, Irwin pointed out that there’s still a chance Russell could find himself playing for a different team in the future.
“Now, if Russell thrives in this role and is willing to accept it moving forward, sources say several more teams would be interested in signing him as a sixth man this summer.”
Overall, Russell has been available for the Los Angeles Lakers this season and has played 13 games. The point guard is averaging 12.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Russell doubled down on his new role with the Los Angeles Lakers
Since Russell became a part of the Los Angeles Lakers second unit, the team has not lost and has won five straight games. In the team’s practice on Monday, the one-time All-Star spoke highly about the coaching decision to assign him off the bench. He told reporters he’s bought into what Redick has preached this season.
“Just a lot of sacrifice,” Russell said. “Simple as that.”
The point guard also reiterated he doesn’t need the offense to run through him since the Lakers have won five consecutive games since Russell accepted the bench role.
“We’re winning bro, I don’t care about none of that.”
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will play against the Utah Jazz for the Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
