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D’Angelo Russell
THE The Los Angeles Lakers have roughly the same roster for the 2024-25 season. While they have the same roster, that doesn’t mean they’ll use the same rotations. They could change things up with starters like D’Angelo Russell.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale suggested in an article dated August 22 that the Lakers bring in Russell as a replacement. He explained why such a move might make sense.
“The Lakers remain light on ball handling as well as creation and shooting when they Lebron “He’s off the court. DLo is already in a lot of these combos. Bringing him off the bench spreads the offensive creation more evenly across the roster, and the Lakers can still run him with the starters if he’s the right option down the stretch,” Favale wrote.
He then explained who could replace Russell as the Lakers’ starting point guard.
“Coming out in good health Gabe Vincent Or Max Christie instead of DLo, it could still result in a killer
five starters in total, with the added benefit of arming the secondary lineups and arming Los Angeles with a more complete package.
“This is not a change that serves as a mandate. Rather, it is a reflection that deserves to be put into practice.”
Russell made an All-Star team in 2019 and hasn’t been great since the Lakers acquired him. Minnesota TimberwolvesHowever, a backup role for him could give them better balance.
The Risks of Benching D’Angelo Russell
Favale explained that this proposed roster change is not foolproof because the Lakers have benefited from Russell’s starting role.
“There is nothing fundamentally wrong with last year’s Los Angeles Lakers starting unit. They were the team’s most-utilized lineup this season and outscored their opponents by 6.6 points per 100 possessions.
“Keeping the ball intact doesn’t just make sense. Changing course is a game of chance. Replacing DLo, in particular, could backfire. He’s coming off a season in which he made 41.5 percent of his 7.2 three-point attempts per game. Removing that outside touch from a quintet that hasn’t provided elite offensive returns presents all sorts of risks,” Favale wrote.
Despite all his flaws, Russell can score and is third in the Lakers’ hierarchy. His presence helps LeBron and the others on offense.
D’Angelo Russell has a “neutral to negative” trade value
While Russell has proven himself to be a good scorer, the Lakers may want a player or players better than him. However, despite their interest in an upgrade, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha explained why they haven’t found a deal for him and others.
“D’Angelo Russell and Jarred VanderbiltGabe Vincent, Rui HachimuraThey have a trade value somewhere between neutral and negative across the league,” Buha said on the July 16 episode of “Buha’s Block.” “There are teams that are interested in just one of those players, but there are very few teams, if any, that are interested in multiple of those players, and that’s ultimately why the Lakers haven’t been able to get a deal done.”
The Lakers have title ambitions and a small window of time with James, and teams want to take advantage of it. It all depends on how desperate the Lakers are.
Matt John covers the NBA for Heavy.com. The Massachusetts native has been covering the NBA since 2018, with stints at The Sporting News, FanSided, Basketball News, and Basketball Insiders. Learn more about Matt John
