Los Angeles Lakers star D’Angelo Russell may not have been in the best graces of the franchise’s fanbase in the last few days. During two of the three previous playoff clashes between his team and the Denver Nuggets, the player delivered some of his worst performances by scoring 13 and 0 points, respectively. However, he has returned to the spotlight after his contribution during Game 4 helped the Lakers finally break their 11-loss streak against their rivals. This allowed the player to receive a praise from another individual who may not be the most revered in the eyes of fans and players: head coach Darvin Ham.

In the aftermath of Game 4, Darvin Ham reportedly put out a statement, revealing how he told D’Angelo Russell to “go crazy and be confident“ during the matchup. This move showed that he still had confidence in the 28-year-old point guard. Russell, in turn, stated, “I got you, big dog.”

D’Angelo Russell’s reply might have been the most positive feedback that the HC would have received in the past few days. After all, it’s no secret that Ham is not a popular figure, not only amongst NBA enthusiasts but also his players. Even lead scorer LeBron James has had his share of issues with the 50-year-old.

“He sits in the huddle and gets his rest/water, rolls his eyes as Ham speaks, and waits for the huddle to break,“ wrote Lakers Daily reporter Andrew Irwin a few months ago. “If Ham ever does draw up a play, as soon as the huddle breaks, James will tell everyone else on the court with him ‘f–k all that‘ and calls a play of his own.”

Ham has not been receiving any comfort from the team’s second-leading scorer, Anthony Davis, as well. After the Lakers lost in Game 2, Davis made a statement during the post-game press conference: “We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor”. Many people, including Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, took this as a dig towards Ham and the rest of the coaching staff. Ham responded to the remark by defending his coaching staff and reportedly calling out what Davis was feeling as ‘frustration’.

The current Lakers roster consists of the very same players who reached the Western Conference Finals last season and won the In-Season tournament a few months ago. However, that success doesn’t seem to reflect for a second year in a row, as they barely made it out of the Play-In series and hold a 1-3 record during the playoffs. Therefore, it would make sense on why the players who chose to allegedly revolt in this manner against the one whose aim is to lead them to victory. Fortunately, D’Angelo Russell seems to be out of that list of players.

Darvin Ham knew that D’Angelo Russell would bounce back after Game 3

Fans quickly turned on D’Angelo Russell after the player dropped 0 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists during his previous game. Social media users were reportedly ruthless in criticizing the player’s performance and highlighting how he was sitting on the sidelines while the rest of the Lakers were in a huddle. Fortunately, Darvin Ham was there to be his friend when no one else stood in support.

During the presser that took place in the aftermath of the game, Ham highlighted how Russell has his moments and while he had some “good looks” during the game, he couldn’t efficiently use the opportunities. He took the example of the player’s noteworthy performance during Game 2 and stated “He was able to bounce back…. and I expect him to bounce back in Game 4.”

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The official X account of Lakers Nation recently highlighted a conversation between the coach and the player. When the former stated that he still believes in him, the latter reportedly replied, “I believe in myself more than anybody. I don’t need that, but I appreciate it.”

The Lakers have to win three more games and an additional one before they can proceed to the next stage. Do you think Darvin Ham and D’Angelo Russell will lead us there? Let us know in the comments down below.