Another day, another Los Angeles Lakers loss…
And another brutal no-show for starting point guard D’Angelo Russell.
As the Los Angeles Lakers looked defeat right in the face in the final minutes on Thursday night, Russell was disengaged from the team huddle during a timeout, as he sat alone, perhaps left pondering his 0-point outing in a must-win game.
For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of a 4-0 exit at the hands of Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets. And for the second year in a row, when counted on the most, D’Angelo Russell has failed to rise to the occasion, sinking the hearts of the Purple-and-Gold faithful.
The Los Angeles Lakers Depend on Russell
“I’ve been dominating the season all year, so for me to have a game off when everyone is watching, of course, it’s going to be magnified. You see what I did the second game, and I’m looking forward to doing it the third game,” Russell said during a SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance before Game 3.
The Los Angeles Lakers need every bit of that confidence from D-Lo. Unfortunately, he did himself no favors by talking that talk before the game.
Then again, the Lakers were super high on Russell’s performance heading into the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Post the NBA Trade Deadline, Russell had been one of the NBA’a hottest performers, averaging 19.2 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting an elite 41.2 percent clip from three-point range in 25 appearances.
When the 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament entered, D-Lo put together one of the most clutch performances of his career, sinking five three-pointers to go along with his 21 points and a late three-ball right in front of New Orleans’ bench to seal the deal.
Why Is D’Angelo Russell Struggling Again?
D’Angelo Russell had his quote before Game 3 against Nuggets age like milk https://t.co/2fbQ1tyNf1
— Larry Brown Sports (@larrybrownsport) April 26, 2024
During last year’s Western Conference Finals, Russell faced major scrutiny for playing his career’s worst string of games. During Denver’s sweep of the Lakers, Russell averaged a forgetful six points while shooting an abysmal 13 percent from three. Lakers coach Darvin Ham eventually was forced to bench Russell when the series returned to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4.
It may be a new year, but for the most part, we have not seen a new D’Angelo Russell.
Right from the rip in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA playoffs, Russell went just 6-20 from the floor and 1-9 from three-point range. In Game 2, Russell was able to flip the script, scoring 23 points and knocking down seven from three-point range.
But instead of riding momentum off his Game 2 performance, he was dreadful in Game 3 with the stakes being their absolute highest…
o points, ouch.
And to make matters worse, a clip of Russell completely isolated on the bench went viral after the game, resulting in many ex-NBA stars and people in the media ripping Russell for his apparent disinterest.
Los Angeles Lakers Treatment of Russell
With at least one game left to play, the Lakers have a decision to make on how they gameplan for the Nuggets. After his 0-point performance, will Darvin Ham adopt a similar approach to last year and bench D’Angelo Russell?
At this point, there is nothing conclusive about which lineup the Los Angeles Lakers will trot out in Game 4. But given what happened last game and the infamous snapshot of Russell sitting away from the team on the bench during a timeout, there’s a possibility the Lakers reduce Russell’s minutes or bring him off the bench.
The Los Angeles Lakers and D’Angelo Russell must play like everything is on the line in Game 4 against Denver. If they falter again, they’ll be swept right out of the postseason again.
About The Author
Adel, 23, is a lead writer for the NBA on Total Apex Sports. He is a passionate NBA fan with a deep background in writing across the media, sports debate, and screenwriting for YouTube and TikTok.
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