D’Angelo Russell made some puzzling comments after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night.
Russell seemingly said he’s not on the Lakers to play defense.
“I have an idea,” Russell said. “When I’m not making shots and things like that, it’s not relevant to our success. We need guys that are going to make shots. We need guys that are going to get stops. And if I’m not making shots, they’re going to depend on me just to get a stop. That’s where I work, that’s where I try to be better, but it’s not what I do. Doing that is an extra.”
The Lakers lost to the Timberwolves by a final score of 118-111 to drop to 15-14 on the season. The purple and gold have lost four games in a row.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Russell put up 17 points and eight assists against the Timberwolves in 38 minutes while shooting 7-of-19 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line. The lefty had four turnovers and was a -4.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic believes the Lakers would consider a Russell-centric trade for Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine. LaVine wants to get traded to the Lakers and he has the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group) as LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Russell is averaging 15.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the Lakers this season while shooting 46.2% from the field, 38.0% from beyond the arc and 77.2% from the free-throw line. He waived his implied no-trade clause in July.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Lakers are 1-5 since winning the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas. All signs point toward the team making a trade before the trade deadline in February.
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