D’Angelo Russell is playing with great rhythm right now. His highlight three-point shot during a 2OT win over the Warriors has gone viral after Russell ignored LeBron James on the fast-break for a pull-up three which he sank.
Fans were quick to call D’Lo crazy for now having a highlight where he waved off LeBron to add to the incredible clip of him waving off Kobe Bryant in his rookie season.
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“D’Lo is the only player to wave off Kobe and LeBron. That’s crazy.”
In a game against the Houston Rockets in 2016, Russell received the ball at the top of the key with Bryant to his right. When Kobe asked for the ball, Russell asked the legendary guard to go stand in the corner as he pulled up for a contested three-pointer. Thankfully, he drained that shot as well.
It takes supreme confidence in one’s ability to be able to wave off players of LeBron and Kobe’s caliber. Waving off Kobe as a rookie is honestly insane and could’ve led to a tongue-lashing for Russell if he missed the shot.
Pulling up with a trailing LeBron was not as egregious, but he took a very tough shot compared to the easier look LeBron could have gotten. He sunk the shot, so it’s now a cool highlight that will follow him in his career.
Should The Lakers Trade D’Angelo Russell?
The Lakers looked destined to make a move in December with D’Angelo Russell being the primary player being in rumors for an upgrade. The team had fallen below .500 as Russell averaged 10.4 points in December to fall out of the starting lineup. After a small injury layoff, Russell came back with a renewed focus on keeping his tenure with the Lakers alive.
Russell has averaged 27.1 points and 6.0 assists over the last seven games as the Lakers climbed back up to .500. But even with Russell becoming a consistent 20-point scorer again, the Lakers record has remained spotty. They don’t have D’Lo to blame anymore, so the team needs to look at making different changes to the roster. Austin Reaves is seeing his name be put into trade talks after his poor form recently as well, while others are pondering selling high on Russell after he earned trade value once again.
The only way the Lakers can justify trading Russell is for a definite upgrade at the guard position. Even though Dejounte Murray could be an upgrade over Russell, the price may be too steep for LA given the production D’Lo is giving them. Outside of Murray, there aren’t any high-level difference-making guards that the Lakers could move Russell for.
The biggest change the Lakers should consider is coaching, but there aren’t any replacements for Darvin Ham on the market. With Lakers players looking visibly frustrated under coach Ham, a change in coaching may result in better results than getting rid of D’Lo, who’s averaging 17.3 points and 6.1 assists this season.
