"F**k I gotta do, Pat?": Lakers' D'Angelo Russell voices frustration after lack of respect in his highly efficient 2022-23 season
D'Angelo Russell expressed dissatisfaction with critics not giving him respect for his stellar 2023-24 season during an appearance on Patrick Beverley's podcast.
Russell recorded his best shooting season as he shot a career-high 46.2%, 54.8% from inside the arc and 39.6% from deep. He also had his best free-throw shootings season after connecting on 82.9% of his FT attempts.
However, D'Lo's season got overshadowed by his struggles during the LA Lakers' conference finals loss against Denver Nuggets. His former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Patrick Beverley questioned how nobody has been mentioning Russell's shooting efficiency. The latter agreed while frustratedly ranting about the situation on "The Pat Bev Podcast With Rone," saying:
"And they ain't talking about is bruh, damn. The f**k I gotta do, Pat? They want me to play point guard, I play point. Y'all want me to play shooting guard - what y'all want from me man?
"I shoot 40% from 3, what y'all want? Want me to win the game in the last two minutes too? What y'all want? I'm just going to stay humble."
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D'Angelo Russell started the season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He got traded to the LA Lakers at the deadline in the blockbuster deal that finally ended Russell Westbrook's tumultuous tenure with the Purple and Gold. The former All-Star guard became a fan favorite during the regular season, contributing to the team's resurgent run that helped them make the playoffs.
The Lakers went from the 13th to the seventh seed after Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley joined the team. Russell didn't let the spotlight in LA impact his game, which was one of his best achievements of the last season.
Across 17 regular-season appearances, D'Lo averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists, shooting on 48/41/73 splits. His field goal and 3-point percentage would be 2% better than his career highs.
Where it all went wrong for D'Angelo Russell
D'Angelo Russell had become a fan favorite in LA in his second stint with the franchise. Some Lakers fans even deemed him the better fit with the Lakers over dynamic All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Russell continued earning high praise from the team's critical fans in the playoffs until the conference finals.
Before that, D'Lo put up phenomenal performances that helped the Lakers prevail against the Memphis Grizzlies in round one and the defending champions Golden State Warriors in the conference semis. He shot inefficiently sometimes but found ways to impact the game with his playmaking.
D'Angelo Russell couldn't do either during the conference finals against the Denver Nuggets. He averaged only 6.3 points and 3.5 assists, shooting a dismal 32.3%, including 13.3% from 3-point range. He also didn't react well to the idea of coming off the bench, a move that may have helped LA compete better.
He came off the bench in the series' last game, but the Lakers still got swept. However, that's the closest the Lakers had come to winning a game against the eventual champions.
D’Angelo Russell on moving to the bench in Game 4: “It was tough. It was tough to agree with it.”
Russell said despite that, he didn’t want to be a distraction to his team and wanted to be a professional about the situation.
D'Angelo Russell's misfiring against Denver cost him the praise for his otherwise solid season. It also cost him a lucrative contract in the market. He eventually signed a two-year $36 million deal with the Lakers in free agency, which is way lower than the projected numbers before the regular season.