The Los Angeles Lakers finally pulled the trigger on a deal.
On Sunday, the Lakers agreed to send D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. As with many trades, the jury is out on the winners and losers of this transaction. However, the Lakers look like they were able to solve a frustrating problem with this move.
After years of nearly incessant speculation, the Lakers finally parted ways with Russell. The former No. 2 pick has had several solid games in purple and gold. Nonetheless, those stretches don’t outweigh his overall performance, which has largely been underwhelming.
The Writing Was On The Wall For Lakers, D’Angelo Russell
Since joining the Lakers midway through 2022-23, Russell has averaged 16.6 points and 5.9 assists per game on 45.2 percent shooting from the field (39.8 percent from three). This season has been his worst, as he’s averaging 12.4 points and 4.7 assists per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field (31.3 percent from three). Even worse, these numbers are startlingly similar to his playoff production with the Lakers. In those 21 postseason games, he’s averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 assists per game and made just 41.4 percent of his field goals (31.3 percent of his threes).
If he was playing on a team that didn’t have legitimate championship aspirations, that wouldn’t matter as much. However, winning an NBA title has all but always been the main goal for the Lakers. With LeBron James now staring down Father Time, Los Angeles is under even more pressure than usual.
Furthermore, though Russell’s been a good soldier since Lakers head coach JJ Redick removed him from the starting lineup, he’s been known to hold grudges when he feels slighted. There haven’t been any reports or other indications that there was a falling out between he and Redick. Nonetheless, the tension could’ve been palpable behind the scenes.
What is known about Russell’s appraisal of Redick is that he’s stopped going out of his way to tell the media about just how great he is. That could simply be coincidental but it’s notable nonetheless. Removing Russell from the equation does impact their overall talent level but it could still be addition by subtraction.
Shake Milton Shaking Loose
If spark plug Shake Milton can shake loose, Russell’s departure is even easier to stomach. With that in mind, Milton has averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 assists per game since the Nets traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. In those six games, he’s shooting 44.6 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three.
He isn’t quite as good as Russell but he’s a talented player. He can more than likely play the role that was required from the Ohio State product after his demotion to the bench.
Is Austin Reaves The Answer?
As strange as it may seem, Russell —a former top-three pick —hasn’t consistently stepped up in big moments. Yet, Austin Reaves —who went undrafted —has. This is among the reasons the writing for Russell was already on the wall.
Though Reaves has emerged as one of the better young guards since being undrafted, he shouldn’t be outplaying Russell. Especially not when his career-high is 17.7 points per game, which he’s averaging this season. In fact, Reaves’s relatively modest production has prompted Lakers icon Magic Johnson to say his former team needs to acquire an established go-to scorer.
With that being said, Reaves has posted 16.9 points per game in the playoffs. However, he’s shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from deep in his playoff career. The difference between his efficiency and Russell’s isn’t just significant on paper. While Russell’s attempts clang off the rim, Reaves’s go down like hot chocolate in December.
Los Angeles might not know if they can count on Reaves to consistently carry a heavy scoring load. He has scored at least 25 points in three of his last five games while often being their primary facilitator, continuing to reward the Lakers’ well-documented faith in him. Regardless of his eventual role though, he made it that much easier to look away from Russell.
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