Lakers News: D'Angelo Russell Has Even Higher Hopes For LA Next Season

Every day spent together will make the Purple and Gold even stronger.

People outside of the fanbase are probably looking at the Lakers sitting at the ninth seed right now and wondering: What are they all so happy about?

However, they do not realize that LA is playing the best basketball they've played in the past two seasons. They have gone 7-3 in their past 10 games and continue to climb closer and closer to a playoff berth. Prior to the trade deadline, it felt like you never knew what to expect from this team but now it is a whole different story.

With way more spacing on the court, Anthony Davis has been able to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor and lead the team with LeBron James out. Swiss-army knife Jared Vanderbilt has been able to propel the Lakers to one of the top defensive teams in the league since acquiring him. On top of all of that, D'Angelo Russell looks happier than ever to be back in LA and has looked great so far when he's been healthy. In his four fully healthy games for LA (we can throw out his cameo against the Golden State Warriors), Russell is averaging 20 points and 6.5 assists per. 

Russell joined Spectrum Sportsnet following a 28-point outing in a victory over the Toronto Raptors Friday and shared his vision for the purple and gold moving forward.

"I just want to bring that fun back to this organization, bring that laughing factor, bring all of that, and let it translate on the floor." @Dloading pic.twitter.com/08NlKWnog4

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 11, 2023

"Man if we get one training camp under our belts with this group, the sky's the limit," said Russell. "With that being said, we don't have a training camp under our belt and the sky's still the limit. Our guys are ready, our guys are hungry."

Following the conclusion of this season, the 27-year-old point guard will become an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers have already pinpointed him as a major priority to resign and comments like this should only motivate them further.

Russell has been bouncing from team to team these past few years and he is definitely looking to secure a home here in Los Angeles. When he originally got traded from the team in 2017, it wasn't the prettiest departure but he has matured a lot since then. Having suited up for the Nets, Warriors, and Timberwolves before this second stint with the Lakers, his play was always solid but those teams always felt they could improve without him.

In this case, Los Angeles has welcomed him with open arms as he has brought new life to the city. No team has ever started the season 0-5 and went on to win the NBA championship but this current Lakers squad is not the same one as the beginning of the year. D-Lo looks to help them make history.

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