D’Angelo Russell was one of the three top scorers for the Lakers with 21 points in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Warriors.
He helped the Purple and Gold earn a big victory (127-97) and take a 2-1 lead in the series. After the game Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talked about Russell’s contributions to the team on the offensive end.
“I think he helps,” Ham said about the 27-year-old point guard. “One of the things we talked about in trying to be successful against the Warriors it’s not just trying to stop them from making threes and getting them off the three-point line. You also have to keep the scoreboard moving on your own behalf.
“And so DLo is the type of player, he’s going to come in and if he see us struggling a little bit, he’s able to make plays with the ball in his hand and he’s able to make plays receiving the ball on the second side or third side action.
“He’s great catch-and-shoot player. He just locked in. Saw couple go in early and just stayed aggressive and whenever he’s decisive and aggressive, he’s off the charts.
“Obviously with all the attention that’s being paid to Bron and AD, it’s him, Austin, there are going to be opportunities for those guys, Vando as well, to be aggressive and assertive on offense. That’s what you saw earlier.
“I think he had out first 11 points or something like that. He felt he gets into the rhythm, the kid’s flat out scorer as well as playmakes. So it was great. It was great to see.”
