Lakers News: D'Angelo Russell Redeemed Amidst Playoff Pressure https://t.co/O5xQXPT0AM
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 20, 2024
As the West’s juggernauts collide again in the NBA playoffs, D’Angelo Russell emerges as the Los Angeles Lakers’ beacon of redemption. The prior season’s dismissal from the Western Conference Finals was marred by Russell’s struggles, igniting speculation about his future in purple and gold. Yet, the point guard has silenced naysayers with a defiant return, bolstering his team’s ranks with a resolve hardened by criticism.
Derision and doubt became unlikely fuel for D’Angelo Russell’s resurgence. Rather than fleeing from faultfinding, he confronted it, “[embracing] it” wholeheartedly. His tenacity translated into on-court success, dispelling doubts about his fit with a storied franchise like the Lakers. As the playoffs unfurl, Russell confronts a familiar adversary in the Denver Nuggets—a chance to overwrite the narrative with a pen of performance.
Russell’s turnaround this season wasn’t rooted in technical overhaul but in mental liberation, telling The Los Angeles Times, “Obviously, I do more on the offensive end, but trying to stay valuable on the floor in the guts and crunch of the game. Trying to be on the floor because I can hold my own, for sure.”
He continued, “I try to think less, try to treat it like it’s the first game of the season, how it was a bunch of hype when we played Denver again. My approach was just care less, be free, be a butterfly out there, just float and I’ll find myself in a comfort zone that’s been working for me lately.”
The impending battles will test whether Russell’s post-defeat evolution has truly equipped him to thrive under the most unforgiving spotlight. His team’s faith and his future paycheck hang in the balance.
Can Russell shatter the remnants of past shortcomings to rise, phoenix-like, and lead the Lakers in their quest for supremacy? Only the relentless grind of playoff basketball will reveal the answer.
Wonderful article by Jeremy Hanna. If DLO plays like he has the second half of this year, Lakers will defeat Nuggets. DLO’s 3-ball is one of the big keys to the series.