Indiana Fever star consults Lakers' D'Angelo Russell for playoff advice: "We go way back"
Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell has turned to Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell for playoff advice as the Fever prepare for their first postseason appearance since 2016.
Mitchell, along with standout rookie Caitlin Clark, has played a key role in the Fever's return to the playoffs, leading the team with an average of 19.6 points per game.
In a Wednesday practice interview, Mitchell shared that she sought advice from D'Angelo Russell, whom she described as a close friend, about what to expect in the playoffs.
“I recently talked to my close friend D’Angelo Russell. We go way back. Me and him go back to the point where we trained together at Ohio State. We kind of know each other so, from that perspective, it was good to get a conversation in regards to how [the playoffs] looked,” Mitchell said (via SilverScreenandRoll).
Russell has made four playoff appearances, including consecutive trips with the Lakers. In those back-to-back seasons, the Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals and first round.
During the most recent playoffs, Russell posted averages of 14.2 points, 4.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, shooting 38.4% from the field and 31.8% from three. These numbers were down from his regular season averages of 18.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds.
In addition to Russell, Mitchell mentioned she also spoke with New York Knicks player Miles McBride.
“I also got a chance to talk to [Miles] McBride…he made a run with the Knicks, so he knew what it was like, too. We’re from the same home town. I like to get as much information as I can so it’s been exciting to hear about it.”
Like many on the Fever roster, Kelsey Mitchell will be making her playoff debut. She was drafted No. 2 overall out of Ohio State in 2018, two years after the Fever’s last postseason appearance.
The Fever have only three players with playoff experience: Temi Fagbenle, Damiris Dantas, and Erica Wheeler. Fagbenle and Dantas were champions with the Lynx, while Wheeler was part of the Fever’s 2016 playoff team.
Lakers writer calls for D'Angelo Russell to be traded due to poor playoff performance
Lakers writer Maxwell Ogden argued that the team should part ways with D'Angelo Russell, citing his "net-negative" impact during the playoffs.
However, Ogden acknowledged that Russell was crucial in helping the Lakers reach the playoffs.
“While it’s easy to suggest that trading Russell would be addition by subtraction, finding someone to replace his regular-season value will be much harder than it seems," Ogden said (via LakeShowLife).
As the Lakers aim for championships, they also need strong regular-season contributors, having made the playoffs the last two seasons via the Play-In Tournament.