The player on the Los Angeles Lakers who is their barometer more than anyone else is starting point guard D’Angelo Russell. As he goes, so goes the team.
That has especially been true against the Denver Nuggets dating to last year’s Western Conference finals when the Lakers were swept. He played very poorly in that series, and he didn’t play up to his standards in two regular season contests versus Nikola Jokic and crew this year.
Those struggles continued in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs against Denver on Saturday. While Russell was aggressive — he took 20 shots, which is high for him — he made just six in L.A.’s 114-103 loss. In fact, he was only 1-of-9 from 3-point range, which came in contrast to the 41.5% he shot from downtown during the regular season.
But he sported a positive attitude after Game 1. In fact, he said he’s excited.
“Great looks. I mean, I can’t be mad,” Russell said. “I don’t recall the last time I got 20, so for me to get 20 good looks – not 20 good, probably, five or six of them were questionable. I know what I’m capable of. Honestly, I’m excited. I’m excited about that.
“I just feel like sometimes the ball just don’t fall. I was locked into all the details and the little things to try to stay on the floor defensively and things like that. When you look up, your shot’s not falling. No love lost. Can’t be upset about that one. Be ready for the next one.”
Russell, like many perimeter shooters in the NBA, will have a bad game every now and then. He usually seemed to bounce back in satisfactory fashion during the regular season, but this is the postseason, a different animal.
One thing different from last year’s Western Conference finals is Russell didn’t shy away from shooting. In that series, he averaged just 7.8 shot attempts a game. He needs to keep being aggressive while making sure his shot selection is solid.
One thing that could help is if the Lakers run some plays for Russell in Game 2 off the ball, especially later in the game if he hasn’t scored in a while. Getting set up for easier shots and feeling the ball go into the basket tends to get players like him going, especially mentally.
One thing is for sure: If he doesn’t get going soon, the Lakers’ season will be over soon.
