It took only eight games for rookie head coach JJ Redick to move away from Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard D’Angelo Russell.
After benching Russell in the fourth quarter of their 131-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 6, Redick removed the inconsistent guard from the starting lineup over their next two games.
“Just level of compete, attention to detail, some of the things we’ve talked with him about for a couple of weeks,” Redick told reporters of his decision to bench Russell in the closing quarter against the Grizzlies. “And at times, he’s been really good with that stuff, and other times, it’s just reverting back to certain habits. It wasn’t like a punishment. I just felt like for us to have a chance to win this game, that was the route we wanted to take.”
Redick’s move proved beneficial for the struggling Russell and the Lakers as they won their last two games with the 6-foot-1 guard playing solid minutes coming off the bench.
“I just wanted to win,” Russell said via ESPN after his first game in his new role as the Lakers’ sixth man on Nov. 8. “So whatever it took, change of plans, whatever it is, whatever Coach needs, try to get the win and be a part of that.”
In the last two games Russell came off the bench, the former No. 2 pick averaged 16.5 points on 52% overall shooting and 38.5% from the 3-point line — a marked improvement from his 12.0-point average on atrocious 37.5% overall shooting and 29.5% from the 3-point line through the Lakers’ first eight games.
But just as when Russell is starting to find his rhythm, an illness kept him out of the Lakers’ practice Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, jeopardizing his playing status for Wednesday’s rematch against the Grizzlies.
It’s a setback for the beleaguered guard, who is reportedly on the trade block, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, as the Lakers have their eyes on getting Anthony Davis frontcourt help.
“D’Angelo Russell is on the block and is going to be available as outgoing salary for the Lakers,” Fischer said on a recent livestream. “The center spot is a spot that we know Los Angeles has been looking to upgrade and will be looking to upgrade.
“We mentioned Brook Lopez at the top of this show; he is someone that I was told is on the Lakers’ list of potential targets. As we said before, Jonas Valanciunas is another name I’d keep an eye on for the future there, and someone that I was told over the summer was on the Lakers internal board of center options.”
Moving Russell to the bench could be a signal the Lakers are indeed ready to move on from the veteran point guard to improve their roster.
Despite Redick’s adjustment over Russell’s role and the Lakers’ two-game winning streak to improve to 6-4, they remain outside of the top 10 championship contenders this season.
The Lakers have the 11th-best championship odds at +2500, according to ESPN Bet, which offers up to a $1500 bonus bet.
If Russell is the outgoing trade piece for the Lakers to improve their odds, they need him to be healthy and continue shining in his new role.
However, trading Russell for a big man also weakens the team’s backcourt rotation, with only Gabe Vincent as the other true point guard on the roster.
The Lakers’ other point guards on the roster are rookies Bronny James, who isn’t part of the rotation, and Quincy Olivari, who is on a two-way contract.