For the first time in a while, the Los Angeles Lakers have a deep and talented roster that is capable of winning the NBA championship. They endured a year and a half of purgatory after the Russell Westbrook trade and some dubious free agent signings, but it appears they have regained their mojo.
On Thursday, head coach Darvin Ham and general manager Rob Pelinka addressed the media and talked about a number of topics just a few days before the start of training camp. One topic was the starting lineup, and in particular, who would start at point guard.
Although D’Angelo Russell appeared to have the starting spot sewn up, there was speculation it might be an open competition and that perhaps newcomer Gabe Vincent could snag that spot.
However, Ham affirmed Russell will be a starter this season.
Darvin Ham on D'Angelo Russell: "He's our starting point guard."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 28, 2023
Russell, who arrived in February’s Westbrook’s trade, averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.4% from 3-point range in 17 regular-season games with L.A. He was somewhat inconsistent during the playoffs, but he also had a number of very good games and key moments where he came up big.