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D’Angelo Russell survived the trade deadline to stay in the starting rotation with the LA Lakers. Russell is ready to rise to the occasion. He voiced his desire to be a vocal leader for the squad as they prepare for another potential playoff run.
Russell’s newfound inspiration to be a vocal leader comes from his brief stint with the Golden State Warriors. Russell learned at the feet of Draymond Green and his passionate, outspoken leadership style.
"When I got around Draymond, I seen him in the film room, like really talking and really creating controversy. Really challenging [teammates] and really doing that on purpose," Russell said. "And I saw how we grew. We weren't even a good team, but we grew because of that dialogue in the film room."
Russell said he did not see the same things happening when he returned to the Lakers. He noticed almost the entire team was often silent in film sessions and gave respect to LeBron James.
"Then I get here and nobody talks but Bron. I was like, 'What the f---?' And then I just started being vocal, and that became where my IQ is exposed now." “I'm ready for it," Russell said. "I studied for this test."
Russell has already had a solid impact with the Lake Show. They jumped from 13th place to seventh in the Western standings after trading for Russell last season.
He also helped the team make the Western Conference finals. Russell put up 31 points in a Game 6 win of the first round against the 2-seed Memphis Grizzlies. He also added 19 in a close win in Game 6 against the Golden State Warriors in the conference semifinals.
Russell then struggled to get on the floor for the conference finals and saw his role disappear. The Lakers decided to stay with him and re-signed the guard this summer.
D’Angelo Russell rising up
D’Angelo Russell has rewarded the Lakers for sticking with him. He turned up his production after the Lakers kept him past the trade deadline.
Russell is averaging 22.0 points and 4.8 assists per game in their five games this month. That includes a massive 44-point performance in a 123-122 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.
He averaged 20.2 ppg during February. He has led the Lakers in scoring in 13 games this season.
Russell has gone from trade piece to third on the team in minutes. He is also shooting a career-high 42% from 3-point range.
He needs to keep it up as the Lakers push for one of the top six spots in the West to avoid the play-in tournament. They are 36-30 and 2.5 games behind Phoenix, who is sixth.
