"That coach at OKC got some s**t to him": D'Angelo Russell knew Thunder were No. 1 seed out west last season
D'Angelo Russell claimed that he knew the OKC Thunder would be the No. 1 seed in the West last season. The LA Lakers guard opined as much during his latest appearance on the 'Run your Race' podcast with Theo Pinson and AJ Richardson.
The Thunder clinched the top seed with a 57-25 record for the first time since 2013 and made the second round of the playoffs before going down to the Dallas Mavericks.
Russell also shed light on Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, lavishing praise on the 39-year-old. He was named the 'Coach of the Year' for the last season after his stellar campaign with OKC.
"I said Minnesota and OKC gonna be what Memphis was. I knew that coach at OKC got some s**t to him."
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Willams, Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, and Chet Holmgren — one of the youngest units in the league. This season, they made more noise right at the start by trading Giddey for Alex Caruso and later roping in center Isiah Hartenstein.
They are one of the teams favored to take the top three seeds in the West for the next season with the Denver Nuggets, Mavericks, and Minnesota Timberwolves jostling for the remaining spots.
The LA Lakers have made D'Angelo Russell available in trade talks
D'Angelo Russell is one of the LA Lakers players on the trade block. The news was confirmed as much by The Athletic's Lakers reporter Jovan Buha on his 'Buha's Block' podcast. He added that LA has been shopping the PG in trade talks ever since he opted into his $18.7 million deal next season.
On the numbers front, Russell is coming off one of his better seasons in the league. He ended his 2023-24 run averaging 18.0 points on shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc and dishing out 6.3 assists per game. He was a potent offensive weapon when handling floor general duties and some of his 3s made at a quick clip showed his ability to keep hitting the shots even from a distance.
D'Angelo Russell was on the trade market last season ahead of the deadline window as well when the Lakers were linked to guard Dejounte Murray and the Atlanta Hawks. Should they look at dealing the 28-year-old, perhaps the right time to do it is with him on the roster for the upcoming season where they can find better value.