D'Angelo Russell has found the perfect way to ensure a future with the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have gambled on a decision that divided the locker room in 2023-24. It's an undeniably risky endeavor, but head coach JJ Redick has invested time, patience, and invaluable communication in finding a place for D'Angelo Russell.

Russell and former head coach Darvin Ham had a well-documented falling out due to the handling of the former All-Star's place in the rotation, but history doesn't seem to be repeating itself.

Redick surprised the masses when he benched Russell against the Memphis Grizzlies and proceeded to utilize him as a reserve during the next two games. While Ham and Russell clashed over the decision, Redick seems to have connected with his point guard on a stronger level.

According to Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation, Russell is embracing his role as a supporting player who has an opportunity to contribute to a winning team.

“I think if we can find a way to be unselfishly selfish, I think that will help our guys that are supposed to be selfish and more hungry for what they’re trying to do,” Russell added. “It’s easy for us to follow those guys. Obviously Austin and AD and Bron carrying the load allows us as the supporting cast to be that much more effective because now we see teams have to guard those guys. They have to adjust, they have to game plan. You just got to be ready, guys like myself, Dalton, Jaxson, Rui, Gabe. It’s a lot of opportunity.”

It's a mature and encouraging statement from Russell, whose talent has never been questioned, but whose style of play seems to favor the designation of a sixth man.

D'Angelo Russell is the perfect sixth man for the Lakers

Through the first eight games, the Lakers' bench was struggling to generate any semblance of consistent offense. It scored just 20.6 points per game, ranking No. 29 in the NBA, and was equally as poor with placements of No. 27 in three-point field goal percentage and No. 30 in assists per contest.

In the two games with Russell as a reserve, the Lakers' bench has produced 32 and 40 points—and he's been the driving force behind that success.

Russell scored 18 points in 25 minutes as the Lakers won his first game off the bench in 2024-25, 116-106 over the Philadelphia 76ers. The next time out, he tallied 15 points in 27 minutes, shooting 6-of-13 from the field, as Los Angeles won 123-103 over the Toronto Raptors.

For perspective on how important Russell has been to the second unit's turnaround: He's the only Lakers reserve to score in double-figures in consecutive games in 2024-25.

With Russell as the sixth man, the Lakers' bench finally knows who to turn to as an offensive focal point. It's an essential development that should make the other reserves' jobs significantly easier to manage as the regular season progresses.

It's also the perfect role for Russell, who has always been the best version of himself when he can focus on scoring above all else.

In the starting lineup, there are simply too many mouths to feed for Russell to thrive as a rhythm scorer—including Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. As a reserve, however, he's free to shoot at virtual will, pacing the second unit on offense and filling the void that others have thus far been unable to.

Some will argue that trading Russell is still the best option, but as the second unit struggles to generate anything close to consistent offense, he may have found his long-term place with the Lakers.