At this point, it would probably be safe to say that the Los Angeles Lakers made the right decision of not shipping off D’Angelo Russell before the trade deadline. The All-Star guard has been a force to be reckoned with, particularly after the mid-season break, and there’s no denying that he’s been integral to LA’s success thus far.
This surge has had a lot to do with Russell playing with a chip on his shoulder. He was well aware of all the trade chatter surrounding him, which is why he’s been out to prove a point for the team, the fans, and for himself.
Los Angeles Lakers Star D’Angelo Russell Breaks Silence on Trade Rumors
In a recent interview, Russell looked back on the tumultuous period he had to go through right before the trade deadline. The 28-year-old admitted that he felt a bit abandoned by the Lakers during that time, which actually didn’t bother him that much:
“When I’m straddling the line of ‘I can be traded,’ ain’t nobody saying, ‘Hey bro, don’t worry about that trade s—,'” Russell said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I’m getting ate up in the media and ain’t nobody saying nothing? Cool. I’m on my own. I’m on my own s—. I ain’t tripping, I’m built for that.
“My approach: Care less, do better. And that’s what was.”
In 10 games played since the All-Star break, Russell has put up averages of 21.0 points on 49.7 percent shooting, 3.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.0 steals, while also knocking down 3.7 triples per game on a dizzying 45.1 percent clip.
Talk about bouncing back from adversity, right?
LeBron James Vocal on D’Angelo Russell’s Unrelenting Mindset
A weaker man would have crumbled under all the pressure. Not Russell, though.
Even Lakers talisman LeBron James had nothing but praise for DLo as the former heaped praise on Russell’s attitude:
“It takes a strong individual, especially when you’re hearing everything that goes around,” James said of Russell. “You’re hearing the trade talks, you’re hearing this and that and whatever the case may be and ‘Is D-Lo the right fit?’ or whatever. One thing is, he just don’t waver.
“We never gave up on him either. Even when he went to the bench, we just still wanted to instill confidence in him because we knew we were going to need him. We need his ability — his uncanny ability — to rack up points in a bundle very fast.”
it goes without saying that Russell will play a crucial role in whatever level of success the Lakers are able to achieve this season.
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