Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell was instrumental in a big victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
His 29 points, including 11 in the third quarter, helped L.A. pull away from the Mavericks and cement a 17-point victory. LeBron James and Anthony Davis each put together superstar performances, but it was Russell who led the way with his scoring.
Russell has averaged 25.3 points per game over his last four outings, and although the Lakers are 2-2 in that stretch, it’s been a huge boost to see him find some rhythm back in the starting lineup. It’s also a big boost for Davis and James, who have continued to dominate without needing to do so on a play-by-play basis.
James spoke about what it means to have Russell playing his best basketball and how it helps the team, but specifically the superstar duo.
“It takes pressure off me and AD and then our other guys because of his ability to get points in bunches. He can run off three or four 3s in four or five possessions because of his ability to shoot the ball. So it’s key.”
One of the selling points of this Lakers team heading into the season was the quality depth outside of James and Davis. However, injuries and inconsistent performances from those depth pieces put a larger weight on James and Davis’ shoulders. Davis, specifically, has been nothing short on monstrous this season.
But perhaps things are starting to turn around for L.A. as they get relatively healthy and figure out a more consistent rotation. Role players knowing what their role is on a nightly basis allows them to play more freely, and that is being seen with Russell over the last handful of games.
James and Davis don’t have to lead the Lakers in every category in order for them to win. And Russell is more than up to that task.
LeBron James: disrespectful to talk about trade deadline moves
When contemplating trades, it should made in the interest of James and Davis to make their jobs easier, but the all-time leading scorer is focused on the guys that are here now and not worried about any potential trades.
“I don’t play fantasy basketball. What I do is focus on the guys that’s here in this uniform and show up to work every day. It’s too disrespectful to be thinking about what we need or what we don’t have. I don’t do that to my teammates,” James said. “We’ve been putting in the work and that’s what we got to continue to do. We like the way we’ve been playing the last couple of games. We got to continue that Friday versus Brooklyn.”
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