During yet another loss against the Denver Nuggets in the postseason, Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell had arguably his worst game yet.
Russell finished with 0 points in 24 minutes, shooting 0-for-6 on 3-pointers in a seven-point loss. It was an embarrassing performance for the former No. 2 overall pick, who also struggled in the postseason against Denver last year as well.
What was perhaps most troubling, however was not his inability to score. Instead, it was arguably his lack of engagement down the stretch when his team needed him most.
D’Angelo Russell wouldn’t even join the Lakers huddle 😳 pic.twitter.com/QSKsHlWcqu
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) April 26, 2024
As captured in a video by LakersAllDayEveryDay.com’s Aran Cohen, for whatever reason, Russell was not sitting with his team during an important huddle.
Instead, he was off to the side doing completely completely different.
.@stephenasmith sounded off on D'Angelo Russell missing the Lakers' huddle.
"LeBron James doesn't deserve a teammate like that." pic.twitter.com/MP03gqBhXz
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 26, 2024
This didn’t sit well with Stephen A. Smith, who criticized the decision:
“What a disgrace, an embarrassment … [He] showed up in a game as a starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers … and did a donut … LeBron James doesn’t deserve a teammate like that. Somebody like that, that [is] not that prioritized, not that focused, get rid of him.”
ESPN’s Jay Williams also went after Russell for this odd choice.
.@RealJayWilliams reacted to D'Angelo Russell not joining the Los Angeles Lakers huddle 😳
(via LADEig/X) pic.twitter.com/qaDF49Lfa8
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 26, 2024
Here is what Williams said:
“I don’t know if he’s on his cell phone. I don’t know if he’s eating snacks. I don’t know what the [expletive] it is. But I’m sitting up here on national TV saying that I am a former that typically, 90 percent of the time, defends the players … For D’Angelo Russell to check out of a game that way and not be involved in a team huddle gives me major concern … That’s a sign of somebody that is checked out of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Russell has a player option in his contract that would allow him to opt-in to return to Los Angeles or become a free agent, potentially signing a long-term deal with the Lakers or elsewhere.
Would the Los Angeles front office feel comfortable letting him walk without getting an asset back in return? Or perhaps he could find himself involved in a sign-and-trade if the Lakers decide to reconstruct the roster.
"This is a bad look, no way around it, it's a bad look…Don't let this be the last thing that fans and the organization remember from you."@TeamLou23 reacts to D'Angelo Russell sitting outside of the #Lakers team huddle during their playoff game against the #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/dVFHjtPHeS
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 26, 2024
Longtime NBA veteran guard Lou Williams, who was teammates with Russell from 2015 until 2017 on the Lakers, also wasn’t happy.
“This is a bad look. No way around it. It’s bad optics. Bad timing. Bad everything. Come on. You’ve had an amazing season. You’ve been championed. You’ve been revered. You’ve been celebrated … Don’t let this be the last thing the fans and the organization thinks and remembers from you. Stay professional. Keep your head right. Keep your name straight. We’ve had these conversations. I don’t like the optics of it, especially where a game where you’ve struggled.”
While this was not good, hopefully Russell takes the advice of folks like Smith and Williams.
