After having jumped through quite a few obstacles during the regular season and the play-ins, the Lakers are now in the playoffs. However, their first challenge against the Denver Nuggets did not prove to be an easy one. The Nuggets won by a score of 114-103. It saw D’Angelo Russell delivering one of his worst performances during a playoff game and overall. In the post-game presser, Darvin Ham emphasized that DLo remains aggressive.

Instead of laying out his criticism, the coach defended his player by stating that he was “a huge reason” why the Lakers managed to even reach this point. “I’m not gonna bail out on my player just because he’s missing the shots he normally makes … It wasn’t his night,” said Ham. “Shooters are gonna have nights like that. But I want him to remain aggressive. That was a good thing I saw”.

“He remained aggressive. His energy remained great. He remained positive,” Ham continued. With 41 minutes, Rusell tied with LeBron James in having the second-highest playing time during the game. Despite this, the player only scored 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. A major reason for this was his inability to make effective shots.

Out of his 20 field goal attempts, only 6 managed to get the ball through the hoop. At 1-9, Russell’s success with his 3Ps held an even worse percentage. He didn’t even attempt to make any free throw attempts! The single turnover attempt he made during the game was quickly picked up by rival player Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which later transitioned into a three-pointer by Jamal Murray.

According to ESPN anchor Bob Myers, the person who was most disappointed with the player and that failed turnover was LeBron James himself. Given how Russell has always regarded the 39-year-old legend as an inspiration, the disappointment would have certainly stung.

How did D’Angelo Russell justify his performance during the Lakers-Nuggets clash?

In the aftermath of the highly anticipated game, D’Angelo Russell appeared at the presser. When talking about his performance, he highlighted that it had been a long time since he went out of his way to make 20 shots in a single game. Even though less than half of them ended up going through the hoop, the point guard emphasized that the attempts speak for just how far he can go if he develops a winning mindset.

“I know what I’m capable of, so honestly I’m excited about that (Game 2),” said Russell. “Sometimes, the ball just don’t fall. I was locked in on all the details and the little things, just trying to stay on the floor defensively, things like that”. The 28-year-old let onlookers know the past is the past, and he wants to look forward to the next game.

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D’Angelo Russell accumulated an average score of 18 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists during the regular season. In the absence of LeBron James during a Bucks clash back in March, he dropped a season-high 44 points to lead his team to victory. A few weeks later, he accumulated 184 three-pointers in a single season and established the same record as former player Nick Van Exel. All this is an indication of just how detrimental the player is towards the Lakers’ offensive effort. Game 2 will be an important challenge for the Lakers, as another loss will further lower the franchise’s championship hopes.

Will Russell step up for the same? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.