Has D’Angelo Russell broken out of his playoff slump?
Before getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, guard D’Angelo Russell had been very disappointing in two postseason appearances.
In 11 playoff games, he had shot just 34.9 percent from the field, which was significantly worse than his regular season efficiency to that point.
But since returning to the Lakers (he spent his first two seasons with them), Russell may have become a better version of himself. In 17 regular season contests, he averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game while hitting 48.4 percent of his shots overall and 41.4 percent of his attempts from 3-point range.
That’s great, his critics seemed to say, but will he show up for the playoffs?
When he made only 33.3 percent of his shots in the first three games of L.A.’s first-round series versus the Memphis Grizzlies, it seemed like perhaps the pundits were right about him.
But when his team was down 97-90 in the fourth quarter of Game 4, he hit three straight 3-pointers to allow it to force overtime, where it won. He ended the game 7-of-15 overall, making it the first time he shot above 45 percent in a playoff game.
In the Game 6 clincher on Friday, he went wild. Russell finished 12-of-17 overall and 5-of-9 from downtown, giving him 31 points on the night, a high for both teams.
The fact that he had such a performance in a virtual must-win contest for the Lakers was a major statement, not just to the basketball world, but also himself. Perhaps more important, he played with confidence, as he didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, either from mid-range or the outside.
Even in Game 1, when Russell shot 7-of-17 and 3-of-9 from 3-point land, he only struggled in the first quarter, meaning he was 6-of-12 overall and 3-of-7 in the final three quarters when the game was decided.
This should give him the belief he needs to play well more often than not in the playoffs from here on out. After all, the Lakers will need him to do so if they will have any shot at their 18th NBA championship this summer.
