LeBron James Disappointly Stares Down At D’Angelo Russell After Missing Easy Layup
LeBron James was in disbelief after D’Angelo Russell missed a point-blank layup.
Lakers superstar LeBron James usually does a good job at hiding his emotions on the court but not even he could hide his disappointment when D’Angelo Russell missed an easy transition layup against the Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Lakers should have had the advantage in a 2-on-1 scenario but D’Angelo Russell blew the point-blank layup, much to the chagrin of LeBron.
Of course, D’Angelo Russell wasn’t the only one to get chewed out in the contest. Lakers coach JJ Redick also had a moment on the sidelines when he went off on LeBron James and Dalton Knecht for missing their assignments.
The missed layup by Russell was during an especially high-stakes moment for the Lakers, who were looking to take the lead in the fourth quarter of a tie game. D’Angelo, who had just been moved to the bench unit, finished with 8 points in the game on 33.3% shooting. While the Lakers did go on to win the game, Russell was taken out shortly after in favor of Austin Reaves.
In the aftermath of the benching, there are real concerns about how Russell will handle his new role but he has no choice but to accept it if he wants any chance to make it work with the Lakers. Fortunately, he responded with humility after being asked about losing his starting job.
With so much at stake this season, LeBron James and the Lakers have to be careful to avoid any serious mistakes if they want to contend with the NBA elites and that means limiting Russell’s playing time. Despite his skills as a shooter, ball handler, and playmaker, D’Angelo’s hustle and competitiveness have been called into question at times, most recently by Lakers head coach JJ Redick, who criticized Russell for his “level of compete.”
Simply put, at this stage of his timeline, nobody on the Lakers is willing to be held back by D’Angelo Russell or wait for him to get his act together. After sacrificing so much to assemble this roster, Rob Pelinka is committed to winning at any cost and LeBron James is running out of time.
At 39 years old, the King wants to go out with a bang and he may only have one or two more years before his career is all said and done. With Anthony Davis in his prime, and the Lakers sitting at 7-4 this season, there is a strong belief that the team can contend for a title and keep pace with some of the best in the league.
But to win when it matters, the Lakers will need a reliable point guard to hit shots, make plays, and run the floor next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They thought that Russell could be that guy when they first brought him back in 2023 but his lethargic play and bad work ethic have made him a poor match for this Lakers regime.
When it comes to LeBron James, he demands the best from his teammates and he’s not afraid to turn on the heat when they make a mistake. If D’Angelo Russell wants to keep his place in the rotation and avoid falling out of it entirely, he’ll need to (at the very least) make his shots and more consistently show up offensively.
This season, the Lakers are fully invested in the championship hunt and LeBron James is playing like a man who fully believes in his team’s chances to win a title. Anyone who gets in the way of that is at risk of being exiled and that’s especially the case for Russell, who has been on the trade block for a year now.
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