JJ Redick Has Talked to D'Angelo Russell 'The Most' of Any Lakers Player

JJ Redick says that he has talked to D'Angelo Russell the most out of every Lakers play this summer.

As the Los Angeles Lakers get ready for the upcoming NBA season, the big theme in the building is trust. The team was bounced out in the first round of the postseason last year but the front office didn't make any major changes to the roster for this season.

The biggest change that has come to Los Angeles is former NBA guard JJ Redick taking over as the head coach. Redick replaces Darvin Ham after a tumultuous two seasons with the Lakers.

He will now be tasked with maximizing the core group of players that Los Angeles has on the roster, led by stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Having both players healthy this season will make or break the year for the team but it's the role players that will take Los Angeles to the heights that they believe they can get to.

One of the more important pieces to the roster is point guard D'Angelo Russell. Russell has thrived playing alongside James and Davis so far but he has come up small in the postseason when it matters most.

Many believed that he wouldn't be back for this season but he surprisingly picked up his player option to return. Part of this was due to Redick taking over as the head coach and Redick has seemingly gone out of his way to make sure Russell feels included heading into the season.

During a recent press conference, Redick admitted that he and Russell have spoken at length this summer.

"Throughout the summer he was probably the guy I talked to the most," Redick said, per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. "He's going to have a major role on this team."

Redick on D'Angelo Russell: "Throughout the summer he was probably the guy I talked to the most ... he's going to have a major role on this team." He wants to put Russell in a position to have a career year. Said Russell's mindset and leadership have been excellent.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 25, 2024

The communication between Redick and Russell is great to see and could lead to good results for the team. Russell put up a very solid year last season but his continued struggles in the playoffs are a cause for concern.

However, Redick is looking forward to helping the embattled guard put up another strong year under his leadership.

"Let's put you in position to have a career year," Redick has told Russell — per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

JJ Redick says he has spoken to D'Angelo Russell probably more than any other Lakers player since he got the job and his message to the guard has been: "Let's put you in position to have a career year"

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 25, 2024

Last year, Russell averaged 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. He shot 41.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line, a career-high average for himself.

If he can put together a similar season and show up in the postseason for the Lakers, it would be a massive boost to this team. Having Redick lead the way should help things but it will be up to players like Russell to pick up the slack around the two stars this year.

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