“If I Miss, Y’all Took Me Out of the Game”: D’Angelo Russell Expresses Dissatisfaction With Lakers’ Coaching Tactics

The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling, and D’Angelo Russell might have a clue why. The Lakers point guard, recently on the Backyard Podcast, talked about his situation with the Lakers, and the team’s chemistry. Hardly keeping it to .500 this season, the Lakers have a lot of issues to address, including their need for a playmaker.

No doubt, Russell has shown his presence in clutch situations, even in the current season. Shooting 38.3% from behind the arc, though not his best, through his catch-and-shoot plays has helped the team in need. While talking about the same, Russell tried to highlight the reasons for not performing at his highest level,

“I ain’t just catching and shooting. Now I’m in y’all space. If I miss, y’all took me out of the game. … if that’s all I’m doing is catching and shooting. But if I’m getting to do what I know I can do, honestly, I feel like that’s when I’m at my best, when I just have a roller and a shooter.”

Now, it’s easier to understand why Russell and the Lakers are struggling. Russell, who has averaged, 14.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, is playing like a shadow of his former self. As per him, he is not able to play his natural game, which is hindering his potential on the court.

It’s clear from his comments, that he would prefer to play like a traditional point guard. Russell’s playmaking abilities can come in handy for the franchise in this situation when Coach Darvin Ham has even tried LeBron James as a point guard. The catch-and-shoot type style doesn’t seem to work with Russell, as he is a rhythm player. Even during his first stint with the Lakers, D’lo played beautifully off the pick and roll, something that is yet to be seen during his current stint.

The approach that Coach Ham and the Lakers are taking isn’t a masterstroke either. By benching D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers don’t have much to gain. They already lack a proper playmaker outside of LeBron and Russell. Austin Reaves has also proven to be a sub-optimal playmaker, and to many, the Lakers are out of options.

The Lakers might look at the trade market

The Los Angeles Lakers, like any major sporting franchise, always seems to take the ‘money’ way out. The Purple and Gold might be looking to trade away D’Angelo Russell, in what looks like a season-altering trade. On paper, Russell looks like the obvious choice to be traded, as among the supporting cast of the Lakers, no one has seemed worse than Mr. Russell for their pay grade.

But a trade for D’Angelo might be a tricky one, as the market isn’t looking too good for the former Nets star. Not only is Russell coming off an abysmal performance this year, but he has already proven to be an injury-prone player.

And, it isn’t just general managers and teams which seem to have a problem with Russell, but also his teammates. During the recent game against the Raptors, Anthony Davis looked animated after Russell committed an unnecessary turnover.

With both LeBron and Davis carrying their respective loads well, the responsibility for the recent failures of the Purple and Gold falls upon the supporting cast. As for D’Angelo Russell, it looks like the Lakers might not be the right fit. Russell has always thrived when he is the primary ball handler, with a shooter and a screener at his disposal.

It’s no surprise that Russell isn’t enjoying his time with the Lakers, as the Lakers are using D’Angelo more as a shooting guard, than a playmaker. With the trade deadline just a month away, it would be interesting to see what kind of moves the Lakers management are capable of pulling off.