In early February, the Los Angeles Lakers were several games under .500, and they seemed to have only two chances of making the playoffs: slim and none.
But on the ninth of the month, Russell Westbrook was sent out in a three-team trade that brought back D’Angelo Russell, forward Jarred Vanderbilt and sharpshooter Malik Beasley, and it turned their season around.
After Russell, Vanderbilt and Beasley made their Laker debuts, the team went 18-8 the rest of the way in the regular season, and it went from a porous defensive team to one of the best in the NBA in that department.
Russell has given L.A. a steady, dependable and smooth starting point guard who, like Westbrook, can make things happen in transition, but is also very effective in a halfcourt setting, not to mention a very potent outside shooter. He averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists a game while shooting 48.4 percent overall and 41.4 percent from 3-point range since coming to the Purple and Gold.
Russell taking care of these three areas of emphasis will greatly increase the Lakers’ chances of defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.