"LeBron James is ball dominant": Former Laker lays down success mantra for D’Angelo Russell
To maximize his tenure with the LA Lakers, D’Angelo Russell needs to adapt to the ball-dominant playstyle of LeBron James, according to former Purple and Gold Smush Parker. Although listed as a forward, James frequently assumes ball-handling responsibilities, with Russell and Austin Reaves serving as the starting guards.
In an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Parker emphasized that Russell should embrace more off-ball responsibilities.
“I don’t know D’Angelo too well, but I do know LeBron James’ game, and he’s ball dominant. ... D’Angelo is a playmaker that’s used to having the ball in his hands, but you have to understand that’s not your role anymore,” Parker said.
Parker advised D’Angelo Russell to focus on becoming a spot-up shooter. Last season, Russell excelled at 3-point shooting, achieving a career-high 41.5% accuracy on 7.2 attempts per game.
“You have to become a spot up shooter when you’re playing with a guy like LeBron James; almost like I had to play when I was playing with Kobe Bryant,” Parker said.
“But again, you have to know how to adapt to your teammates and that’s what good basketball players do, you know? You know what your role is on certain teams and then elevate your game to that level that it needs to be.”
Parker was the starting point guard for the Lakers from 2005 to 2007, providing support in the backcourt for superstar shooting guard Kobe Bryant. The two clashed several times during their time together, and Parker said that he never reconciled his differences with Bryant before his tragic death in 2020.
D’Angelo Russell says playing with LeBron James ‘clicked right away’
In a July episode of the Run Your Race podcast, D’Angelo Russell shared that his chemistry with LeBron James developed naturally when he was traded back to the Lakers in 2023.
“So coming here last year when we came we clicked right away. I was like, ‘Dang, this is not what I expected.’ We was playing at a high level. Hot potato the ball, backdoor, no-look lob. That’s basketball. We were on the same page and we had no time to get there. We just did it,” he said (per Lakers Nation).
Although Russell has frequently been rumored to be on the trading block since the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference semifinals in 2023, he has continued to be the team’s primary starting guard, having started all but seven games since joining the Lakers.