Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell isn’t upset that head coach Darvin Ham benched him during the team’s play-in win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 11.
D’Lo shot just 1-of-9 from the field and finished with only two points in 23 minutes.
“We needed to win honestly,” Russell told reporters on April 14. “We needed to win. For me to dwell on it and be upset or confidence low, I don’t think that’s the right approach. Definitely want to do anything and everything I can do to not be in that position in the future.”
Russell’s backup, Dennis Schroder, played excellent versus the Timberwolves. The veteran scored 21 points in 32 minutes and finished with a plus-minus of +22. The Lakers won by a final score of 108-102 to clinch the seventh seed in the West.
“I think I can get it going at any point in the game,” Russell said. “I just got to be there to do it. If I’m not in the game, coach felt a different route, I’ve got to live with that. But if he did come with me at the end of the game, I could easily … make 10 shots in a row. Just that type of a player.”
D’Angelo Russell: ‘If I’m Not Making Shots, I Can Still Control the Game’
Russell had eight assists against the Timberwolves. The one-time All-Star knows he can impact the game even if his shot isn’t falling.
“I try to show that I’m that type of player. I could’ve had 20 assists that night. Could’ve had 15 assists that night. If I’m not making shots, I can still control the game. Simple as that,” Russell said. “If I’m making shots, the game’s probably over. So just knowing that I’m that type of player, not losing any confidence with whether coach doesn’t decide to go with me or if he does. Just knowing that I’m that type of player.”
The Lakers acquired Russell from the Timberwolves at the February trade deadline in a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz. The lefty and Ohio State product averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc with the Lakers in 17 games.
Report: D’Angelo Russell Wants to Be the Point Guard of the Future for the Lakers
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Russell wants to re-sign with the Lakers this summer. The 27-year-old is eligible through June 30 to sign a two-year, $67.5 million extension, according to ESPN NBA front-office insider Bobby Marks. Russell becomes an unrestricted free agent if he and Los Angeles don’t agree to an extension.
“D’Angelo Russell very much wanted a second chance in LA with the Lakers and you’ve seen the impact he made coming back against Toronto the other night, playing great in a win, and again tonight,” Wojnarowski said on March 12 (h/t RealGM). “He wants to be the point guard of the future for this organization. He’ll be a free agent this summer.”
Russell will have made north of $138 million in his career once this offseason starts. He’s played for the Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors and Timberwolves.
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Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell Issues Strong Statement on Getting Benched by Darvin Ham