Yesterday, the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned the first champions of the In-Season tournament. The Indiana Pacers performed admirably, but the stars of the Lakers proved too good for them. Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves delivered outstanding performances in the finals held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, Lakers’ guard D’Angelo Russell fell short of meeting expectations.

Russell’s poor showing led to criticism by fans and analysts alike. Kevin Hart, who made an appearance on NBA Unplugged, called D-Lo’s performance “unnecessary”.

Kevin Hart trashes D-Lo’s poor performance

In the finals, D’Angelo Russell recorded just 13 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds in 32 minutes of playing time. While looking at the post-game box-score numbers, Hart said, “Russell 13! Unnecessary 13 by the way.” Hart also hilariously criticized D-Lo for poor free-throw shooting. He said, “When I see point guards miss foul shots, that’s extremely frustrating. I shot 99% from the line.”  

D-Lo’s three-point shooting, in particular, was really poor. He tried three shots from beyond the arc, but failed to make any of them. Russell’s display appears even more lackluster when considering the performances of his teammates. Anthony Davis recorded 41 points and 20 rebounds. Austin Reaves and LeBron also put up valuable contributions, as Reaves scored 28 points and LeBron recorded 24 points in the game. 

The Lakers showed their championship mettle, as they maintained a perfect 7-0 record to clinch the NBA Cup. But, despite the Lakers’ In-Season tournament victory, D’Angelo Russell hasn’t performed at his best. He has cut an extremely frustrated figure at times when things didn’t go his way. His recent string of subpar performances has sparked a conversation about whether the Lakers might be better off without D’Angelo Russell.

Should the Lakers trade away D’Angelo Russell?

The Lakers’ NBA Cup win must have heightened their fans’ expectations for the season. Now, they expect the Lakers to go deep into the playoffs, but is the current Lakers’ roster equipped enough? It has some glaring inadequacies which may hamper their playoffs’ progress.

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The inconsistent form of D-Lo is also a big concern. He has averaged 16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game this season. His form, coupled with his poor defense, makes Russell a potential trade candidate. It wouldn’t come as a shock if the Lakers traded away D-Lo for a star or good role players in the future.

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What are your thoughts on this? Should the Lakers trade away D’Angelo Russell? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.