Already holding first place in the Top 10 of the night, for his “alley-oop” towards LeBron James on… a bounce pass, D'Angelo Russell could have easily been invited a second time in this ranking. On another counter-attack action, the “King” still nearby, the Lakers leader put Malcolm Brodgon in the wind with a sublime dribble behind the back.
The kind of actions that reflect his current level of confidence. “ It's about having fun. It's something we all dream of doing. It takes you back to when you were young, you worked on moves in your backyard without thinking that you would have the opportunity to do it in a match. I never thought I would be able to throw a lob on a bounce pass to LeBron James in a game. This kind of thing rejuvenates you, makes you continue to love the game “, enthuses the 27-year-old.
This night against the Blazers, D'Angelo Russell didn't just put on a show on two actions. Comfortable with his floater, confident with his mid-range and 3-point shot, including from very far away… He undoubtedly had one of the cleanest matches of his career.
Clean and complete
“ It was one of the most complete games I've seen him play since he wore the Lakers jersey again. He was great in defense, very active with and without the ball in attack. It was huge », confirms Darvin Ham, where LeBron James highlights the qualities of a ball handler from his teammate, capable of suddenly changing pace.
Qualities that he brought to bear in addition to a notable level of skill: 34 points on 14/21 on shots, including 6/11 on 3-pointers, 8 assists and not a lost ball, not to mention 2 blocks . In particular, he gave Scoot Henderson a bad evening, struggling to keep up with his acceleration towards the circle.
“ I never arrive at the match telling myself that I'm going to try to score, score, score, that's never my intention. It's just the mentality of being aggressive. There were… a lot of miscommunications where they weren’t really defending on me. When I put shots like that, from anywhere… I took what I was given “, does he deliver.
Being complementary while being aggressive
The point guard appears to have changed his mentality since missing a handful of games earlier this year due to injury, before returning as a substitute.
“ Attack, attack, attack. When I was on the sidelines, I was able to see what I was missing, where I was missing. I tried to find a way to capitalize and be myself. You have to be aggressive with these guys (James and Anthony Davis). You complement these guys by being aggressive “, he believes.
Result: since he returned to the major five, for five games, he has averaged more than 27 points with nearly 54% success behind the arc. And this as the “trade deadline” approaches where his name continues to circulate in transfer rumors. His current performances allow him to increase his rating. To make another team salivate? Or, on the contrary, motivate Californians to keep it?
In the meantime, D’Angelo Russell has fun: “ I've always been like that, recognizing my superpower. Everyone in the league has one. […] For me, ever since I was very young, I've always had a sort of hot streak, where I can score five or six points at once. I can score 10 points in a quarter or something and score 10, 12 points in the last three minutes of the game. It's my superpower. »
| D'Angelo Russell | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | LAL | 80 | 28 | 41.0 | 35.1 | 73.7 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 13.2 |
| 2016-17 | LAL | 63 | 29 | 40.5 | 35.2 | 78.2 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 15.6 |
| 2017-18 | BRK | 48 | 26 | 41.4 | 32.4 | 74.0 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 15.5 |
| 2018-19 | BRK | 81 | 30 | 43.4 | 36.9 | 78.0 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 21.1 |
| 2019-20 * | All Teams | 45 | 32 | 42.6 | 36.7 | 80.9 | 0.4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 23.1 |
| 2019-20 * | GOS | 33 | 32 | 43.0 | 37.4 | 78.5 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 23.6 |
| 2019-20 * | MIN | 12 | 33 | 41.2 | 34.5 | 87.3 | 0.3 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 6.6 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 21.7 |
| 2020-21 | MIN | 42 | 29 | 43.1 | 38.7 | 76.5 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 19.0 |
| 2021-22 | MIN | 65 | 32 | 41.1 | 34.0 | 82.5 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 7.1 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 18.1 |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 71 | 33 | 46.9 | 39.6 | 82.9 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 6.2 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 17.8 |
| 2022-23 * | MIN | 54 | 33 | 46.5 | 39.1 | 85.6 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 17.9 |
| 2022-23 * | LAL | 17 | 31 | 48.4 | 41.4 | 73.5 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 17.4 |
| 2023-24 | LAL | 39 | 30 | 47.4 | 40.6 | 78.0 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 6.1 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 15.9 |
| Total | 534 | 30 | 42.9 | 36.5 | 78.8 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 17.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
