D'Angelo Russell's girlfriend Laura Ivaniukas admits struggles with pregnancy symptoms ahead of welcoming second child
D’Angelo Russell is expecting a second child with his girlfriend Laura Ivaniukas. The couple has one child already named Riley and Ivaniukas is currently pregnant with their second. She is sharing her pregnancy journey on social media. This time around, the journey is not so easy.
Ivaniukas posted on her Instagram account of her working out on a treadmill. She added captions on the post, documenting her struggles with her current pregnancy. The expecting mother shared how this pregnancy has made working out hard and led to extreme fatigue.
“NGL this pregnancy has been kicking my ass energy wise compared to my pregnancy with Riley,” Ivaniukas wrote.
Ivaniukas did say she has some practice with cardio work as she chases her young child Riley around on the daily. She also said she worked out with weights until she was 39 weeks pregnant during her first pregnancy.
D’Angelo Russell’s playoff scouting report
D’Angelo Russell has become a focal point of the LA Lakers offense. He went from a possible trade piece to now a certified starter. He will be heavily relied on if the Lakers make it out of the play-in tournament and into the playoffs.
LA dropped a game to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. They are now in ninth place and are 1.5 games back of the Phoenix Suns in sixth. They have three games remaining and seem likely to end up in the play-in.
If they make it out into the playoffs, Russell will be a likely contributing factor. Let’s take a look at how he will impact the Lakers in the playoffs this season.
Russell has been shooting at career highs this season. He is hitting 45.9 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point range. His perimeter shooting has been a huge boost for the Lakers and LA will need him to keep up that clip to advance in the playoffs.
D'Angelo Russell has seen his performance slip during the playoffs in season’s past. He was forced to the bench in the Western Conference finals last season.
This year, the Lakers do not have the guard depth to do that again. Russell will need to keep up his hot shooting to stay in the rotation. He will also need to keep up those numbers to balance out his defensive weaknesses, which will be on display in the playoffs.
D'Angelo Russell will also be used as a playmaker during the playoffs. He can be the primary ball handler when LeBron James is on the bench. These skills could give him more minutes during the playoffs. He is averaging 6.3 assists per game this season.
Russell is playing 32.5 minutes per game. Last season his usage dipped during the playoffs to 29.6 minutes per game. He will likely be used much more this time around as his role in the Lakers offense has increased.