So far this preseason, one of the most impressive players for the Los Angeles Lakers has been point guard D’Angelo Russell. Coming off a disappointing playoff performance, Russell is looking to silence the doubters and erase those memories this season and head coach Darvin Ham has been expressing a lot of confidence in the veteran guard.
Ham named Russell the starting point guard before training camp even got underway and the veteran is showing exactly why in the Lakers’ first two preseason games. Russell is shooting 61.1% including knocking down 6-of-8 3-pointers. Additionally, he has 11 assists with just one turnover over the first two games.
The Lakers were all about continuity and building on the chemistry they established in their playoff run last year and Ham believes he is benefitting from that now. The Lakers coach spoke following the team’s second preseason game praised Russell for his communication and feels that as Russell continues to get more comfortable, the Lakers will be better for it, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Hell yeah. Our communication has been awesome. Him communicating to me what he’s seeing, what he’s feeling out there, me doing the same. Not just me, with all our coaches and his teammates and you’re seeing that. I mentioned all these shooters, he’s at the forefront of that. Just the ease in which he’s able to get into plays and get downhill, under control. Remaining to be a threat all while seeing everything that’s transpiring off the ball as well, the different spacing and how the defense is shifting.
“Yeah, DLo has been great and the more comfortable he gets, the more seamless our offense will be. Because he’s a guy, he understands how to go away from pressure and how to attack the defense in its soft spots. Extremely high IQ basketball so the more and more he gets comfortable the better we’ll be.”
Russell may not be the quickest or most athletic, but he is extremely skilled and a high IQ player who knows how to get to his spots and set up others for easy buckets. This has been on display in the preseason, especially in the pick-and-roll as he has routinely gotten easy buckets for the Lakers bigs or found open shooters outside.
In Russell and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have a pair of guards who are equally dangerous operating as the primary creator or off the ball. Russell continuing to set up others, take care of the ball, and knock down open shots at a high rate will only make the Lakers that much more dangerous this season.
Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell appreciates having a lob threat like Jaxson Hayes
Russell is at his best operating in the pick-and-roll and he has multiple different bigs with which to operate with. They each bring a different skillset, but Russell is especially happy to have a rim-running lob threat like Jaxson Hayes.
The Lakers point guard noted that someone like Hayes makes the team more versatile overall and he hasn’t played with someone like that in a long time.
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