Former Lakers Fan-Favorite Completely Shades D'Angelo Russell For LA's Issues This Year

A former Los Angeles Lakers fan favorite guard throws shade at guard and former teammate D'Angelo Russell.

Apr 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) reacts after a / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard and fan favorite Nick Young once again slams former teammate and guard D'Angelo Russell. 

Young, who spent four years with the Purple and Gold, said the Lakers shot themselves in the foot by depending on Russell throughout the season, which contributed to the team's ultimate downfall in the 2023-24 season. 

Young appeared on DJ Vlad's YouTube channel for an interview, where he unpacked Russell's play. 

"I was making fun of Ham, but the Lakers just didn't have the staff, the team. They depended on DLo, and that's just, you're asking to lose. Placing you faith in that, but they wasn't running plays, they had Denver by 20 at one point," Young said. "What do you expect? They put their faith in the snitch, and the snitch let you down, man."

The Lakers fell short again this past season, falling to the 2023 champions, the Denver Nuggets. This is the second season in which the Lakers have fallen to the Nuggets. 

Although Young has some personal hatred for Russell, he isn't wrong in his critique of the former Ohio State Buckeye. 

Russell didn't do enough to take the Lakers over the hump. His averages decreased to 14.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in five games in the 2024 playoffs. He shot 38.4 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from behind the arc. 

The 28-year-old was one of the Lakers' primary players in the past season and a half, but it was clear he had limitations when the lights were at their brightest. We saw it in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and again in the first round.

Russell's games 1 and 3 were horrid. In Game 1, Russell shot 1-for-9 from three, scoring 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists while shooting 6-for-20 from the field in 41 minutes. 

Game 3 was worse. In 24 minutes, Russell scored zero points, three rebounds, and two assists. He shot the ball seven times and looked checked out by the end of the game. 

The highs with Russell were amazing, but the lows are like rock bottom. That's the nature of having Russell on our team. Now, the Lakers could lose him for nothing. Reports suggest that he will decline his $18.6 million player option and become an unrestricted free agent. The point guard free-agent pool doesn't look good. We'll see how aggressive the Lakers will be regarding Russell. The Lakers have other top priorities on their plate as well. 

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