Watch: D'Angelo Russell throws a running lob to Anthony Davis to open scoring for the Lakers
Nine-year veteran guard D'Angelo Russell is all set to revisit his role as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers in the upcoming 2023-24 season of the National Basketball Association. He is looking forward to effectively running plays for the squad as they try to make a deeper run in the competition this time around.
"DLo" is seemingly on the right track in his push as attested by his play in their preseason campaign. In their game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, October 19, he helped open the scoring with a nifty lob to Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Watch: D’Angelo Russell throws a highlight-reel lob to teammate Anthony Davis to open the scoring against the Phoenix Suns
D’Angelo Russell, 27, rejoined the Lakers, the team that selected him No. 2 in the 2015 rookie draft, midway last season from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He played 17 regular season games for the team, averaging 17.4 points (going 41.4% from 3-point territory), 6.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds. In the playoffs, he posted numbers of 13.3 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds in helping the Lakers reach the Western Conference finals.
In the ongoing preseason, D'Angelo Russell has been steady for 14.6 PPG, 5.2 APG and 1.2 SPG in 20 minutes of play.
The Lakers begin their NBA regular season campaign on October 24 against Nikola Jokic and the defending champions Denver Nuggets in an away game.
D’Angelo Russell looking to have more impact on defense
For the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season, Russell is looking to have more impact on the defensive end to better enhance his role within the team. He wants to be the Lakers counterpart of Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.
He shared this in one of his recent interview sessions with the media, highlighting how White has been an inspiration to him for his no-frills but highly effective game, particularly on defense.
The one-time NBA All-Star said:
“My inspiration has been Derrick White. I want to be Derrick White. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for what he does, makes all the winning plays and that’s who I want to be.”
Check out what D'Angelo Russell had to say in the clip below, beginning at 3:05:
Russell is entering his 10th year in the NBA. The Kentucky native has had stops in Brooklyn (where he became an All-Star in 2019), Golden State and Minnesota before returning to the Lakers midway into last season. He has career averages of 17.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.5 RPG and 1.1 SPG in 495 career games.