2. D’Angelo Russell struggling
Russell is one of the most maddening players to watch in the league. When he’s on, he looks like a max player due to his shooting skills and playmaking chops. On the other hand, he can singlehandedly upend a team’s offensive plans. The Golden State game was more of the latter for the young guard.
Russell finished with 15 points on 6-10 shooting, but a good chunk of that scoring came after the result was decided. Even his style of play is inconsistent. One night, he’ll chuck up the ball like it’s made out of molten lava, and some nights he plays so passively that he wouldn’t shoot it if you paid him.
D’Angelo Russell must help the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers definitely have better infrastructure than they did earlier in the season, but the bench is still not skilled enough to withstand broadsides from tertiary scorers like Wiggins and put forth enough of a respectable riposte on their own. This is where Russell becomes so important.
With James clearly playing through something and Davis’ status up in the air, Game 6 is gut-check time for Russell and a potential legacy-defining game. A strong performance could etch his name into Lakers history for the rest of time, though a clunker could do the same for the wrong reasons.