D’Angelo Russell has gone from likely trade chip to potentially the Los Angeles Lakers’ savior during the second half of the 2023-24 season.
Russell came into the regular season the most likely candidate to get thrown into a deal because of the two-year deal he signed the previous offseason. The guard was maligned after his poor performance against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, but still returned to Los Angeles after his market dried up in free agency.
The former No. 2 overall pick has changed the narrative around his game the past couple of months as he’s caught fire from beyond the arc and is having the best stretch of his career. Russell has propelled the Lakers to several high-quality wins and is playing with a newfound confidence that has been a joy to watch.
Head coach Darvin Ham and Russell have had their differences the past season and a half, notably revealed in some recent comments but the point guard. That led Ham to be questioned before Wednesday’s game aainst the Sacramento Kings but Ham believes the two have a strong relationship now, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“We have great conversations. Great text exchanges after games, during the game our in-game conversations. … It’s tough. That’s why the phrase is called ‘building a relationship.’ It doesn’t hit the ground running all the time smooth. Trying to figure things out on the fly. And yeah, Dennis is someone I love and care about. Dennis is a helluva player. But just trying to learn Lo on the fly and figure things out. Then, for him, the beautiful thing about it I think that caused the difference in where we were then and where we are now is our ability to talk and be honest with one another. And our ability to really take accountability with one another. It’s two grown men both caring about winning. Both trying to help one another figure this thing out. And who both want to get to the level we know we can get to. … But in terms of he and I, I think we’re in a great place right now. I’m sure he would agree.”
NBA players and coaches won’t always agree on things, but Russell and Ham have been able to work things out through constant dialogue. The two being able to find some common ground has helped the team as a whole and hopefully that continues.
D’Angelo Russell believes Dennis Schroder prevented him from having relationship with Darvin Ham
Last season, it was clear that Ham had more trust in Dennis Schroder than Russell. Russell admitted that Schroder’s presence prevented him from having a relationship with Ham when he was originally traded to the Lakers.
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