The Los Angeles Lakers have concluded their preseason and are gearing up for the 2024–25 season, which gets underway against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. When they do, they’ll have LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and D’Angelo Russell in their starting lineup, which is finally going to be familiar.
Russell just finished what may have been his finest regular season ever, particularly in the second half of the game. After spending more than three months unconscious from beyond the arc, he earned a spot in head coach JJ Redick’s starting lineup for the entire season.
The seasoned Lakers guard has long been regarded for the assurance with which he conducts himself. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, when asked which players at Lakers training camp had impressed him, his response was predictable:
It makes reasonable that Russell would be pleased with his own work given how fast he earned the starting point guard position for the season. Russell has always had confidence in himself, but he also never hesitates to give credit to others. Thus, it is clear from his response that he is proud of the effort he has made.
Whether Russell can improve upon his performance from the previous season is still to be seen, especially in light of the new coach and the increased expectations placed on him. Even though his role has fluctuated, the Lakers point guard has always managed to contribute during the regular season.
The Lakers’ franchise record for the most 3-pointers made in a season was broken by D’Angelo Russell last season; Nick Van Exel had previously held the record.
The former Ohio State player broke Van Exel’s record of 183 triples by finishing the season with 226. The 28-year-old guard told Spectrum SportsNet on Lakers Media Day that he thinks he can break his record going into this season. If this is feasible, it may depend greatly on how JJ Redick’s offence plays out in the regular season and how many clean looks Russell receives. If he plays all 82 games, he will only need to hit about three triples each game to beat his record.
