Lakers News: Why Expert Believes 2023-24 Season Is Make-Or-Break For D'Angelo Russell
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When he was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft out of Ohio State University, point guard D’Angelo Russell had high hopes for his career. The Los Angeles Lakers did as well, believing that he was the future of their franchise.
Yet, things didn’t work out the way that anyone hoped, and Russell was ultimately shipped off just a few seasons after being drafted. But life has a weird way of bringing things back together, and the two sides reconnected last season after the team acquired the guard at the trade deadline.
Russell was a major part of the Lakers run to the Western Conference Finals last season, but when it mattered most, he shrank. He was played off the court against the Denver Nuggets, leading many to believe that he wouldn’t be back for this upcoming year.
However, the offers weren’t great for him, and the Lakers decided to bring him back on a team-friendly deal. Now, LA can either run it back with him throughout the year or move him at the trade deadline if he struggles.
But entering the season, Russell remains one of the players on the team with the most pressure on their back, per Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report.
“As a 27-year-old with an All-Star selection and some gaudy stats on his resume, D'Angelo Russell may have envisioned a more lucrative ending to his free-agency venture this summer.”
This is going to be a prove-it season for Russell in a lot of ways. He needs to prove that he belongs on a team that is competing for a title, and if he can’t hang, they have multiple players waiting in the wings to take his minutes.
“Newcomer Gabe Vincent could bump Russell out of the starting lineup, and the Lakers worked an escape clause into his contract in case they need to trade him.”
Both LA and Russell want the partnership to work out, but things don’t always go as planned. We are going to learn a ton about what he is made of this season, for better or worse as the year goes on.
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