Guard D’Angelo Russell was one of the biggest reasons the Los Angeles Lakers turned everything around last season, just when it seemed they were going to miss the playoffs again. His smooth outside shooting, ability to score off the dribble, set up teammates and calm hand helped remake the Lakers into a very good team.
However, as the playoffs progressed, his shooting went cold. In the Western Conference finals versus the Denver Nuggets, he was picked apart on the defensive end by Jamal Murray.
So far this preseason, Russell has been very sharp and efficient offensively, scoring 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting with eight assists in just 21 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings. But he also contributed on defense by blocking a De’Aaron Fox shot and drawing a charge on Domantas Sabonis.
When asked by Mike Bresnahan if defense is a new focus for him, Russell said it is (at 1:24).
"The group that we got has been fun. A lot of good guys out there that I have fun playing with and just enjoying watching them do well, and when it comes my way I feel the same energy back, so I like where we're at as a team." 😎 pic.twitter.com/vW0E14btdu
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 12, 2023
“Last year they found a way to get me off the floor by not playing defense I guess, so trying to be a reason to eliminate that. Not give them a reason to not have me on the floor. Try to be as dangerous as I can on offense, try not to be a liability on defense, so that’s what I’m working on. I’m trying to do it now before the season, so continue to practice those good habits.”
Russell will likely never be a defensive stopper. But if he at least becomes a neutral defender and maintains the high shooting percentages he had during the 2022-23 regular season, he will be very valuable to the Lakers moving forward.