D'Angelo Russell has put together a strong preseason for the Los Angeles Lakers. He re-signed on a two-year, $36 million contract despite questions about his future stemming from a rocky postseason run. It culminated with Dennis Schroder getting the starting nod over Russell in Game 4 of the Lakers' conference finals defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
The book on Russell is pretty simple. He's a potent pull-up shooter who can drop bombs behind the 3-point line, but for every flash of offensive brilliance, there's a defensive breakdown or an instance of boneheaded shot selection to point to. He is well positioned for success on a Lakers team with high-level playmakers like LeBron James and Austin Reaves, but Russell is still a lightning rod for criticism. He tends to oscillate aggressively between hot and cold.
As the Lakers gear up for another postseason push in 2023-24, Russell is adjusting to a new set of expectations. The former No. 2 pick is no longer billed as a traditional point guard and offensive cornerstone. He's a role player, and he's pointing to one of the best role players in the NBA as inspiration.
"My inspiration is Derrick White," Russell said. "I wanna be Derrick White. He doesn't get a lot of credit for what he does, makes a lot of winning plays. That's who I wanna be."
D'Angelo Russell wants to channel Celtics' Derrick White for role with Lakers
This is a highly encouraging statement from Russell. It shows a great awareness of what is valuable in a complementary player. Russell has spent a large portion of his career playing like a star, but that's not sustainable (or remotely effective) in the context of LA's current roster.
If Russell wants to live up to his contract and redeem his career after last season's fizz-out, it will require a renewed commitment to the defensive end and an entirely different approach to offense. There is every reason to be skeptical of Russell actually mimicking White, but any emphasis on spot-up 3s, off-ball movement, and defensive intensity is a positive development.
White absolutely dominated the postseason for Boston, doing all the dirty work for a Celtics team loaded with star talent on the offensive end. White is an elite guard defender, equally effective at the point of attack or stationed off the ball, where his activity in passing lanes is a constant thorn in the side of NBA offenses.
He doesn't offer star equity on offense, but White hits timely threes, actively cuts, and avoids over-dribbling. He processes the game quickly and makes sharp passes in the flow of the offense, promoting ball movement and connecting dots for Boston's potent offensive attack.
The Lakers would undoubtedly love for Russell to occupy a similar role this season. Russell has been a pronounced negative on defense for his entire career, but all it takes is commitment for that to change. He's not going to be Derrick White — let's be realistic — but even if he's okay on defense, his outllook (and the Lakers' outlook as a whole) changes drastically.
On offense, the Lakers don't need Russell to dribble the air out of the ball. He's a talented pull-up shooter who does good work out of pick-and-rolls. The Lakers shouldn't go away from that entirely, but Russell needs to present a more active and engaged option away from the ball. LeBron and Reaves are better creators; if Russell is filling the lane with cuts and relocating along the 3-point line, he will feast on clean, efficient looks. LeBron, especially, tends to reward off-ball movement.
If Russell stands around less, embraces a "smaller" role, and actually plays some defense, he could be due for his most impactful season to date. That's a huge if given Russell's track record, but hey — never say never.
