Darvin Ham backed D’Angelo Russell despite the massive letdown at LA. The 28-year-old went 0-7 FG in during the curial Game 3 match-up contributing nothing to the scoreboard. While the Lakers nation had a meltdown at Crypto.com Arena, the LA Lakers head coach still backed his star point guard after the 105-112 disappointment. Notably, D’Lo had a comeback game in Game 2, dropping 23 points after a massive criticism in Game 1.

Speaking to the reporter at the post-game press conference, Ham said, “He had some good looks that didn’t go down, just like Game 1. He bounced back in Game 2 and I expect him to bounce back in Game 4.” Moreover, he further added salt to the injury by calling Russell’s performance “Unfortunate”. 

Notably, D’Angelo Russell has had a playoff demon chasing him since the 2023 West Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Even in that series, he had a nightmarish shooting spree, dropping only 10 of 31 attempts. He averaged only 6.3 points in the series and he continued it in the Game 1 with a 6-20 FG.

While the critics trashed D’Lo for the performance, Darvin Ham once again backed him like he did tonight. Many argued about Ham’s decision to trust Russell in the fourth quarter despite his poor shooting night. In response, he said, “D’Lo is a huge reason why we’re in the first place… I’m not going to bail out on my player just because he’s missing the shots he normally makes.” 

Nevertheless, Ham’s trust didn’t go in vain in Game 2. Despite the loss, Russell turned up the heat, dropping 23 points, which included 7 three-pointers. Moreover, he also added that he was excited for the upcoming challenges after widespread criticisms of him after Game 1 failure. While he was expected to carry forward his Game 2 momentum for the rest of the series, he shut down his system with a ‘no show’ night.

The Lakers’ unexplored problems

D’Angelo Russell and LeBron James have been at the receiving end after the team’s miserable run. The critics called out James for his lack of intent in the fourth quarter and D’Lo for his poor shooting. However, two other Lakers players escaped the public outcry amid this noise. They are Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves.

Hachimura, in the last three games, scored at an average of 5 points per game with a high score of 7 points in Game 1. Austin Reaves, in the first two games, scored 13 and 9 points, respectively. While most critics ignored his disappointing performance, former NBA star Rashad McCants called him out on the latest episode of Gil’s Arena. 

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However, the criticism seemed to have worked for AR, as he dropped 22 points tonight with a 40% shooting percentage. Nevertheless, the Lakers have lost all the chances in their tank, they have to win their next game to give themselves alive in the postseason. Will the Lakers turn up their cylinders in Game 4 and keep the series alive? Let us know in the comments below.