2023 NBA In-Season Tournament Champion Point Guard Intends to Resign with the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers battled to get back to that pedigree championship status everyone knows them for this past season. They clinched the seventh seed in the Western Conference with a 47-35 record and played the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Although they won a game, the four losses against the Nuggets in the first round were not pretty for the Lakers in the slightest bit. In each of those four losses, the Lakers held a double-digit lead at halftime before blowing the game completely in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles won the first-ever In-Season Tournament against the Indiana Pacers. In-Season Tournament champion point guard D’Angelo Russell has just opted into his nearly 19 million dollar player option to return to the Lakers.
D’Angelo was picked by the Lakers as the second overall pick during the 2015 NBA Draft. He played with Los Angeles for three seasons before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Russell’s game started to elevate more while he was in Brooklyn, but before you knew it, he was on the move once again, this time he became a backup to Stephen Curry for the Golden State Warriors. After an unsuccessful season in Golden State, the In-Season Tournament champion point guard was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He spent three seasons in Minnesota, before being traded and having his second stint with the Lakers. This past season with Los Angeles on March 8th, Russell scored a season-high of 44 points during a 123-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 69 starts and 76 games played with the Lakers, Russell averaged about 18 points, three rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block in 33 minutes a night. During the Lakers five playoff games this past season, the In-Season Tournament champion point guard averaged roughly 14 points, three rebounds, four assists, and a steal. It’s safe to say, that Russell was not there for the Lakers in these playoffs, and could help them in the slightest bit. The Lakers know they have a solid point guard heading into his prime, and they should be excited about the opportunity Russell presents to them.
