D’Angelo Russell experienced a drastic shift in performance from the Los Angeles Lakers’ second game to their third in the series, where he went completely cold.
In Thursday’s game, which pushed the Lakers to a 3-0 series deficit, Russell failed to make any of his seven shot attempts, finishing with zero points, three rebounds, and two assists. His frustration was apparent, and he seemed disengaged, notably distancing himself during team huddles on the bench.
This behavior caught the attention of ESPN’s Jay Williams, who criticized Russell heavily on Friday’s episode of “Get Up.”
“For D’Angelo Russell to check out of a game like that and not even be involved in a team huddle, it gives me major concern,” Williams commented. “In two out of three games, he’s been a detriment to the Lakers. You have LeBron and AD giving it their all, and then you have the starting point guard not even involved in a team huddle.”
Williams was outspoken about his disapproval of Russell’s contributions both on and off the court, suggesting that he no longer has a place on the team.
“If I’m the Lakers, I’m looking at things like that, considering how he played last year when they got swept. They had to pull him off the floor. For a guy that talks this way, you’d think he’d back it up with his play. But to me, his ceiling is nowhere near where his floor needs to be because his floor is extremely low. For him to be checked out in the game that way, I don’t want him on my roster. I don’t want him on my team. I want everybody pulling in the same direction and when things get hard, if you’re not willing to lean in more, I can’t have you be a part of what I’m trying to build.”
With an $18 million player option on his contract, Russell is expected to enter free agency.
