Los Angeles Lakers: How good of a three-point shooter is D’Angelo Russell?

Open vs Contested

When D’Angelo Russell is open for a three-point field goal, he is generally able to convert at a higher rate. For example, when the closest defender is 6 or more feet away from him during his shot, he knocks down 38.5% of his attempts.

This is most likely attributable to the fact that this space allows Russell to get into his regular shot motion without having to worry about the defender altering his shot.

This said, when a defender is closely contesting his shots, Russell has more trouble hitting them consistently. For example, when a defender is closely guarding Russell allowing him 0-2 feet of space, he converts an abysmal 18.2% from three.

The reasoning behind this is two-fold. Firstly, his lack of lift when shooting causes him to be more susceptible to having his attempt blocked or altered by taller defenders. Due to this, Russell is prone to changing his shooting stance to an overly wide one to create space, which in turn often causes his knees to buckle inwards and decreases his balance and alignment with the rim, thus resulting in more missed attempts.