On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena without LeBron James on the roster. While the four-time NBA MVP’s absence was expected to hinder his team’s output, veteran guard D’Angelo Russell used it as an opportunity to showcase his offensive talent. The 28-year-old scored a season-high 44 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Lakers to a 123-122 win.
Advertisement
Russell has been on a roll in 2024 and has averaged 22.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in his last 25 games. The Lakers guard was rumored to be on his way out of LA for the second time in his career before the trade deadline. However, the LA side couldn’t find a suitable deal and he stayed put.
His second exit from LA would’ve been just business, but his first in 2017 happened after he allegedly leaked a video where his then teammate Nick Young could be seen admitting to cheating on his then-girlfriend, pop star Iggy Azalea. Teammates shunned D’Lo after the controversy and the franchise was dismayed. The organization traded him to the Brooklyn Nets only two seasons after drafting him with the second pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
Russell’s first stint as a Laker ended embarrassingly, but he explained that it helped him develop an ironclad mentality. During the post-game press conference, he told reporters about his approach to the game, as seen in this Spectrum SportsNet clip.
Russell also added, as quoted in this tweet by Michael Corvo,
“Public humiliation has molded me into the killer that y’all see today. I never lack confidence, I never fear confrontation, I want all the smoke…I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game. If it’s film if it’s watching it and helping young players. I just know what I bring to the table. So whatever room I walk in I am confident.”
Russell returned for his second stint with the Lakers in February 2023 as an experienced and mature veteran. The team benefitted from his growth, as he helped them reach the Western Conference Finals last year. It took him time to get going in his first full season in his second stint with the franchise, but he’s finally looking like the player the Lakers expected him to become when they drafted him with their lottery pick in 2015.
D’Angelo Russell’s exceptional performance keeps Lakers’ playoff dreams alive
D’Angelo Russell’s 44 points, nine assists, and six rebounds helped the Lakers fend off a ferocious Milwaukee Bucks comeback in the fourth quarter and improve their record to 35-30. The guard’s magical performance, which included the game-winning shot, helped the Lakers reclaim the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings.
A ninth-place finish would only earn them a play-in spot, but the Lakers have loftier goals. They are only three games behind the sixth-placed Phoenix Suns and four behind the fifth-placed New Orleans Pelicans. If Russell can continue playing as well as he has been in his past 25 outings, the Lakers can exploit any slips-ups from the teams above them in the standings.
The Lakers’ remaining schedule is strong, with only six of 17 games coming against teams with a losing record. However, they could see this as the perfect rehearsal for the playoffs and build confidence by beating the better teams in the league.
