D'Angelo Russell is a player who has had a very interesting career in the NBA. Overall, he started his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he eventually found himself at the center of a controversy involving Nick Young. This led to him going to the Brooklyn Nets. From there, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, who subsequently sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While in Minnesota, he was a solid guard, however, he was not being utilized to his fullest potential.
At the trade deadline, Russell was sent back to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the Russell Westbrook trade. This turned out to be a great move for the Lakers who also got Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Since the trade, the Lakers have actually looked very good. They have won two blowout games in a row and are playing their best basketball of the season. Although they have a long way to go, it is clear that they actually have a path to the postseason now.
D'Angelo Russell Goes Down
Unfortunately, during their win against the Golden State Warriors last night, Russell went down with some sort of ankle injury. In the video clip above, you can see Russell land awkwardly after rolling his ankle. This ended up happening early in the game, and the guard was in some pain. Consequently, the Lakers' trainers took him out and had him sit for the rest of the match. Following the game, Russell spoke to Lakers reporter Mark Medina about the injury. He said that while it did feel sore, he thinks he will be good to go for the next game.
This is definitely good news for the Lakers as they need all hands on deck for the next stretch of the season. They are one game back from a play-in spot, and with 22 games left, they need as many wins as possible. Overall, there is this sense that they could steal the sixth seed with a strong finish to the season, and if they manage that, they could be dangerous in the playoffs.
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