For years, D’Angelo Russell has been a potent player, but his shooting accuracy has fluctuated from season to season, and he has had issues playing up to his ability during the playoffs. In addition, he has been criticized for his lackluster defense, especially after Jamal Murray lit him up in last season’s Western Conference finals.
But so far in the exhibition season for the Los Angeles Lakers, Russell has played very well. He is shooting the ball very efficiently and showing more effort on the defensive end. He had a blocked shot against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. On Wednesday versus the Sacramento Kings, he blocked a shot attempt by All-Star De’Aaron Fox. Sunday was actually the third straight game in which the guard has had a block.
After the game, Russell cited Boston Celtics guard Derrick White as his inspiration (at 2:30).
“I think we can beat a lot of teams, and we can win a lot of games.” @Dloading's expectations for the season. pic.twitter.com/fXHR4VSpOJ
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 16, 2023
“I’m not using preseason as preseason, I’m using it as the first few games of the season,” said Russell. “That’s just my approach. If I look crazy doing it or picking up guys full-court, diving and doing all that, that what I’m gonna be. My inspiration has been Derrick White. I wanna be Derrick White. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for what he does, makes all the winning plays, and that’s who I wanna be.”
White is a key member of a Celtics team that some are picking to win this season’s NBA championship. Russell may be more talented than him, but he made last season’s All-Defensive second team while averaging 12.4 points and 3.9 assists a game and hitting 38.1% of his 3-point attempts.
Russell previously talked about wanting to improve his defense this season to the point where he, at the very least, isn’t a liability. So far, he has been doing a pretty good job of walking the walk.