Heading into the New Year, the Lakers have a new look. Following the D’Angelo Russell trade, the LA side has its first game on the eve. Speaking ahead of the Tuesday night challenge against the Cavaliers, Coach JJ Redick had a lot to say about D’Lo and how he would make up for his absence with the help of three stars. Undoubtedly, the star guard had a rough patch this season, but at the same time, Russell took care of playmaking for the most stretch. So, it’s indeed a huge void.

Addressing the media tonight, JJ revealed how he missed Russell. “Loved coaching DLo,” said Redick.

He reminisced, “I spent more time with that guy and on the phone this summer, on the golf course. I told him many times that I want a great outcome for him and I’m hoping he has a great rest of the year.” In the next breath, he addressed how the LA team would miss D’Lo’s “playmaking”, “ball handling”, and “shooting” and also admitted, “We’re gonna miss a lot from DLo.”

Of course, one of the reporters asked JJ Redick if he would overcome the loss on the court. Even though Redick has new additions, Shake Milton and Dorian Finney-Smith, they can’t replace the star guard’s orchestrating skills, can they?

JJ responded, saying, “I think with the way we substitute and the way we’ve kind of evolved with some of the non-starting lineups and how those things go, AR (Austin Reaves), and LeBron will be out there sometimes together, and sometimes on their own. So they’re gonna have as much, if not more, responsibility in terms of playmaking. AD (Anthony Davis) as well.”

While the team had playmakers in the starting lineup, D’Angelo Russell mainly took care of it from the bench in recent times. Now that he is gone, though, these stars (AD, AR & Bron) have to share the responsibility.

Is D’Lo’s trade a costly mistake for JJ Redick & Co.?

In the starting lineup, the Lakers have a seasoned NBA name, LeBron James. Even though the legend’s athleticism has dipped slightly, the LA team can still bank on his IQ. This season, the King is averaging 9.0 assists per game, which isn’t definitely a joke. So, the team is covered in the playmaking category for the most part, barring one issue.

The only trouble is who will take over during the superstar’s absence on the court. We’ve seen him miss games often. That’s when Austin Reaves comes into the picture. Not to forget, AR’s agent Aaron Reilly’s explicit statement about Reaves’ development under JJ.

He said, “This coach is about to show a different part of Austin’s game none have you seen. Kept receipts on all that third superstar bull***t.” So, it looks like the duo has been in the works to make Reaves the primary orchestrator for a long time. So, we may get to witness how it pans out in the coming days.

Nevertheless, the team also has AD to cover for him whenever he is off the court, but he can’t do it for longer as he has to run back quickly for rim protection. What do you think? Will these three superstars make up for D’Lo’s absence? Let us know in the comments.