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The Los Angeles Lakers don’t need D’Angelo Russell to be a primary scorer.
They want him to be an off-the-ball player, a cutter, a facilitator, and someone who can take some attention from the defense.
Nonetheless, they would most likely take anything he could give them, scoring-wise, and he’s shown the potential to be an explosive and efficient scorer in this league.
Sadly, that hasn’t been the case in this year’s playoffs, or in his playoff career, for what it’s worth.
According to SportsCenter, Russell currently holds the second-worst streak of shooting less than 50% from the field to begin a playoff career, with 13 games and counting.
D’Angelo Russell finished 2-11 from the field in Game 2 vs. the Grizzlies 😬 pic.twitter.com/b8xGxLQwg8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 20, 2023
The only other player with a worse shooting streak to start a playoff career was DeMar DeRozan during his days with the Toronto Raptors.
DeRozan faced tons of backlash and criticism for his postseason shortcomings, but he eventually figured things out and rose to the occasion, up to the point where he’s now considered one of the clutchest players in the league.
Russell had also earned a bit of a reputation for being a clutch master himself, with his signature ‘ice in his veins’ celebration going viral after knocking down some huge shots.
Then again, some players just aren’t made for the playoffs; we’ve seen it happen way too many times already.
Some of them are gassed after the regular season, while others tend to crumble under pressure.
Hopefully, Russell will finally put an end to that streak soon and put this narrative to rest.
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Fans React To What D’Angelo Russell Said About Role With Lakers
