The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a hole that will be very difficult to get out of, trailing the Denver Nuggets three games to none in the Western Conference Finals after dropping their first postseason game at home on Saturday night.
There are a number of reasons why the Lakers find themselves in this position, and one of them has been the poor play of D’Angelo Russell.
Through three games, Russell has played 79 minutes and has the worst plus-minus in the series at -53. In addition to his poor defense, he has scored just 21 total points while shooting 8-for-27 from the field (29.6%) and 2-for-14 from 3-point range (14.3%).
Russell’s defensive breakdowns are expected, but the Lakers have really needed him offensively in this series and so far he has not been able to produce.
When asked about how he can be better in Game 4, Russell had a simple response: “Just make ’em. Take ’em. Make ’em.”
Even though things are looking grim for the Lakers though, Russell still believes they can come back and win the series.
“There’s always a chance. Try to take advantage of the chance. Like I said, go watch the film and see what we can do to be better. For the guys that are getting shots, continue to make them.”
With Russell struggling, many have called for Darvin Ham to bench him. He has stuck with his point guard to this point though and despite Russell’s poor shooting, Ham is OK with the shots he’s taking.
“All good looks,” Ham said. “He just has to remain aggressive. All good looks.”
With the Lakers’ season now on the line, it will be interesting to see if Ham sticks with him in the starting lineup in Game 4 or if he finally makes a change, even if it hurts Russell’s feelings.
Ham ‘absolutely’ believes Lakers can come back from down 3-0
No team in NBA history has come back from down 3-0 in a postseason series, so the odds of the Lakers doing so are very slim.
The Lakers have faced slim odds basically all season though, and Ham has not lost faith that they can climb out of this hole.
“Absolutely,” Ham said when asked if he still believes the Lakers can come back in the series. “I mean, I think the deficit is 3-0, not 4. So as long as they have not gotten to four yet, there’s still hope. We’re still alive. We just have to focus on winning one game.”
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