After profane rant on Patrick Beverley's podcast, D'Angelo Russell could reportedly lose his starting spot to Gabe Vincent
LA Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell recently made it known that he doesn’t appreciate the disrespect he has been receiving lately.
During a profane rant on “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” Russell spoke about how he did everything that fans asked of him last season with LA. This included him shooting a career-high from both the field (46.9%) and from 3-point range (39.6%).
However, Lakers fans still quickly turned on him after a disappointing Western Conference finals showing against the Denver Nuggets. His shooting efficiency dropped off big-time (32.3%) against the Nuggets, as did his points and assists per game, with the Lakers being swept.
Now, it appears that Russell may be in danger of losing his starting point guard spot entirely.
According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, newly signed Lakers point guard Gabe Vincent has a real chance to steal the starting job in his first season with LA. Vincent thrived as the Miami Heat’s starting point guard en route to their 2023 NBA Finals berth:
“This is an open competition and Vincent has a legitimate chance to steal the starting job,” Buha wrote.
Buha added that Vincent is a better defender than Russell as well as a more natural off-ball shooting threat. This could help Vincent better complement Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“He is the better defender than Russell and a more natural off-ball fit as a lower-usage catch-and-shoot threat,” Buha wrote.
“Unlike Russell, Vincent’s defensive chops prevent him from being played off the floor in the postseason, as he showed during the Heat’s Finals run. At a minimum, Vincent is the early closer, much as Dennis Schroder often was last season, especially in critical matchups that require two-way players.”
Gabe Vincent averaged 12.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.3 3-pointers per game on 40.2% shooting over 22 games in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
Meanwhile, D'Angelo Russell averaged 13.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.6 apg, 0.7 spg and 1.7 3pg on 42.6% shooting over 16 playoff games. Those fell to 6.3, 2.0, 3.5, 0.5 and 0.5 respectively in the Western Conference finals.
Also read: "They probably discredit him 'cause his skin color" - D'Angelo Russell explains Austin Reaves' underdog image in the NBA
D'Angelo Russell still viewed as favorite to be Lakers starting point guard next season
There may now be a legitimate question surrounding D'Angelo Russell retaining his starting point guard role with the LA Lakers next season. However, it’s worth noting that slightly earlier in his report, Jovan Buha said that Russell is still viewed as the favorite to start over Gabe Vincent.
“Russell and Vincent will compete for the spot, with Russell projected as the early favorite to start. (Even if Russell refuses to refer to himself as a point guard),” Buha wrote.
Buha added that Russell has the edge due to his proven regular season success as a starter as well as his superior all-around offensive skillset.
“Given the Lakers’ second-half success with Russell in the starting lineup last season and his superior offensive skill, he makes the most sense as the starter,” Buha wrote.
He also noted that Russell is far more used to operating as a starter than Vincent and that starting "DLo" could boost his trade value next season.
“In theory, Russell starting is more important to him than it would be for Vincent,” Buha wrote.
“Russell has started nearly 89% of his NBA games (435 of 491), while Vincent has started just 35% (68 of 195). The Lakers can also rehabilitate Russell’s trade value by starting him and helping him bounce back to last season’s regular-season production.”