Also Read…
Lakers confident their offensive identity can help them stay hot after the all-star break
On January 15, in Utah, the Lakers were without LeBron James in the midst of a run of games that saw them play every other day for over a month. After the Lakers were destroyed by the Suns, they emerged victorious over the Clippers and the Raptors, but they were in a bit of a rut.
When D’Angelo Russell was on the road and shorthanded, the light seemed to turn greener for him more often. The nine-year veteran has never been bashful. So he gave his number a call. Once more. And Once More.
In a close defeat to the Jazz that evening, Russell attempted 26 shots, but his aggressiveness completely sparked an idea he had been thinking about for weeks.
He needed to do more, to be more. He had to get out of the backseat. He had to be himself.
“Just being out, I’d seen us, you know, trying really hard to get LeBron and [Anthony Davis] the ball,” he said a week after that loss in Utah. “You know, you find yourself dribbling off your foot or looking crazy trying to force it. You’ve got to be aggressive around these guys. You know, you compliment these guys by being aggressive — not passing to them. Like, that’s easy to guard. You’re easy to guard when it’s like that.”
The Lakers enter the second half of the season Thursday with questions looming. Can Darvin Ham pull off another late-season comeback? Will Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent factor into the Lakers’ season? Can the stars stay healthy and make an impact?
Those are all unknowns.
But one thing that’s indisputable — the Lakers are no longer easy to guard.
Since after that loss to the Jazz, the Lakers have been the fifth-most efficient offense in the NBA, scoring 120.2 points per 100 possessions. They lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio and have the second-best true shooting percentage behind the Suns and just ahead of the Clippers.
And while the sample is small — 16 games is also not something to be ignored — it’s coincided with Russell’s pledge to quit deferring.