D'Angelo Russell 2024 NBA Playoffs scouting report: Dissecting LA Lakers guard's role, impact and minutes
D’Angelo Russell has worked his way up from potential trade piece to being a critical player for the LA Lakers. He will be a big part of their push for the playoffs as the regular season winds down. The Lakers are ninth in the West, with a 41-32 record, winning five in a row.
They are 2.5 games behind the Mavericks in sixth and safety from the Play-In Tournament. They need to keep winning, though, as the red-hot Houston Rockets could catch them from 11th place. Houston is 2.5 games behind the Lakers.
The Lakers are built around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, D’Angelo Russell will likely be the third most important player for their playoff push. Russell’s hot shooting and improved playmaking will be vital when James is off or on the bench. Let’s take a deeper dive into Russell’s role with the Lake Show.
D’Angelo Russell's regular season stats
Russell has been one of the Lakers' best scoring options this season. He has led the team in scoring 14 times this season. Here are his regular season averages with nine games left:
Russell has not quite played at the same level during the postseason. He has played 27 playoff games.
He played in one series with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. He also lost a first-round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022. Russell played in 16 of the Lakers' playoff games last season. Here are his career playoff stats:
Strengths and weaknesses
D’Angelo Russell has improved his 3-point shooting. He's hitting a career high 42.5 percent from downtown this season. The Lakers need the guard to bring that hot shooting to the play-in tournament or playoff series if they make the top-six.
If Russell can shoot at that percentage, he will be able to stay on the floor longer. He was played off the court during the Western conference finals last season. He struggles to guard, and his defensive weaknesses could be a problem for the Lakers during the postseason. His offensive output needs to make up for his defensive shortcomings.
Impact, role and playoff minutes
Russell can also find minutes if he continues to operate more as a playmaking point guard.
He has found a role as the ball handler at times when James is out or resting. He could become a safer choice to run the second unit that brings more scoring potential than Spencer Dinwiddie if he makes the right reads. He's averaging 6.4 assists per game.
Russell is averaging 32.4 minutes per game this season. Last season, he only averaged 29.6 minutes per game during the playoffs. The Lakers are less deep this year, so they will need Russell to stay on the floor, else veteran Dinwiddie could steal some of his minutes. Gabe Vincent’s potential return could also eat into Russell’s playing time.