Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell would make team elite
As the Los Angeles Lakers look to round out the roster, adding D’Angelo Russell would make the team elite.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a terrific trio in LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma. The rest of the roster has yet to be filled and it’s unclear who they’ll sign. One player who will make the Lakers a true contender is star D’Angelo Russell.
Lakers fans, does the name sound familiar? The Lakers selected Russell with the second pick in the 2015 draft. Many Lakers fans were left in disgust when the Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell in the summer of 2017, mainly to get rid of Timofey Mozgov’s terrible contract.
It’s not that the Lakers didn’t believe in the 21-year-old point guard (at the time), it’s that they were trying to get out of some jams the front office got into. Also it didn’t help that Russell was seen as immature due to the unfortunate Nick Young incident. The positive is that every Lakers player from three seasons ago is gone. It’s a whole new team and Magic Johnson is no longer the boss.
Russell isn’t the same player he was when he left. When Russell left the Lakers he had just completed a solid second season. He averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 assists in 28.7 minutes.
Now he is a more experienced and polished guard. Most importantly, he is now a leader. He led the Nets to a sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, which was a surprise to many. Russell earned his first All-Star trip as he averaged 21.1 points and 7 assists in 30 minutes a contest. Russell averaged three 3-point makes a contest, shooting it at a 37 percent clip. He became a household name, making clutch play after clutch play to lead the Nets to 42 wins.
Russell had a special season, he seemed to thrive in leading a group of young guys. Despite being only in his fourth year, Russell looked like the seasoned veteran, answering all questions the right way in a tough Brooklyn market.
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At this stage the Lakers are targeting many of the big names like Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving. The positive is that it appears that their mutual interest in the Lakers bringing back Russell, and him willing to return.
D’Angelo Russell will likely be a bit cheaper than an Irving or even Kemba Walker. He is a restricted free agent which means the Nets can match any offer. Brooklyn would likely match which means the Lakers can get involved in a sign-and-trade or hope that Russell’s party speaks out and wants out of Brooklyn.
It’s a possibility that Russell may be willing to sign for $22-25 million year instead of the $30-35 million a season. This will help the Lakers tremendously as they can go out and look at another player or two who can contribute. Many veterans will likely take pay cuts to join such a powerful team in LA.
Russell would be a better fit for the Lakers than point guards Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker for a variety of reasons. The first being is that Russell is only 23-years-old. Walker is 29-years-old, and Irving is 27. The second is that he can play off the ball. His size (6’5″) is a huge factor and makes him more intriguing than the other two stars. He doesn’t need to be on the ball at all times, and that’s important alongside LeBron. Russell can fill in at the two-guard spot with someone like Rajon Rondo running the show.
I will not discredit Kyrie Irving’s success with James as they won a title together in 2016 and Irving played some of his best basketball. But that was also a few years ago and they didn’t have an Anthony Davis, and a talented scorer like Kuzma as a fourth option. Irving isn’t the easiest teammate to build chemistry with. The way he left LeBron and now leaving Boston says a lot about how hard it can be to deal with him.
Per 36 stats:
-D’Angelo Russell: 25.2 ppg, 8.3 apg, 4.6 rpg, 3.4 threes per game
-Kyrie Irving: 26 ppg, 7.5 apg, 5.4 rpg, 2.8 threes per game
-Kemba Walker: 26.4 ppg, 6.1 apg, 4.5 rpg, 3.3 threes per game
One thing is evident after looking at these numbers, is that Russell stacks up well with the pair. Russell beats Irving in assists and threes, while he holds a slight edge in scoring and rebounding. Russell bests Walker in all categories, besides scoring.
I believe Russell’s experience in LA would help. He knows what to expect, he’s been here and done that. Walker has played in a small market (Charlotte) his whole career and has only made the playoffs once like Russell. Besides Walker he would have to be on the ball a lot to be effective.
Another thing to consider is that Russell is the superior playmaker of the three. He averaged more assists despite playing less minutes. Walker averaged 5.9 in 35 minutes, and Irving averaged 6.9 in 33 minutes.
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The Lakers won’t go wrong with any of the three guards, but Russell is the fit that makes the most sense. He is younger, bigger, and is only improving. That is a scary thing to consider, maybe him and Davis can be the next dynamic duo when James decides to retire.
Landing Russell would make the Lakers a clear favorite to win the 2019 title with Golden State losing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson with severe injuries.