D’Angelo Russell entered the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015 as the second overall pick. Since then, the Lakers franchise and D’Lo’s career have gone through various ups and downs. The Lakeshow signed LeBron James in 2018 and won a championship in 2020, while Russell jumped ship from team to team finally ending up in the Minnesota Timberwolves.  However, last year Rob Pelinka decided it was time for the 28-year-old to come back home.

D’Lo did return and was a monumental part of the Laker’s late surge to the Western Conference finals. Still, when it came to facing off the eventual champions the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles was swept. Interestingly, Russell went to the bench in the series, in favor of Dennis Schroeder despite having spectacular performances against the Memphis Grizzlies and The Golden State Warriors in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Many in the Laker Nation called out Head Coach Darvin for the decision at the time. Now, standing exactly where they were last season Russell shares his perspective on the ill-fated conference finals with ESPN. “His(Dennis Schroeder) relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn’t have a relationship with Darvin,” Russell said.

Ham and Schroeder go way back. The veteran guard played for the Atlanta Hawks while Ham was their assistant coach. Maybe that’s why he was given residence over D’Lo. “When I was struggling, I would’ve been able to come to the coach and say, ‘Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.’ Instead, there was no dialogue. … I just accepted it,” said the All-Star.

In the end, remarking “And we got swept and I’m here and he’s not. And I like our chances.”

Can D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers make it to the Conference Finals?

Currently, the Lakers are the 9th seed in the Western Conference. Despite winning the first NBA in-season tournament earlier this season against the Pacers they gradually fell off. However, there’s still hope for the  Los Angeles Lakers. Despite LBJ’s absence, they recently beat the top-seeded Wolves and are on a two-game win streak. While the west is stacked with contenders who can go to the conference finals.

Russell, Anthony Davis, and Bron have the necessary acumen to reach and win the conference finals. So, with only 16 games left for LA do you think they can fuel another run to the Playoffs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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