This offseason the Los Angeles Lakers solidified their lineup with the re-signing of D’Angelo Russell, a significant move for the team’s continuity.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham emphasized Russell’s pivotal contribution to the team’s successful journey to the Western Conference Finals in the previous season.
“I mean, he’s our starting point guard so what he brings to the table, what he BROUGHT to the table… we don’t get to the Western Conference Finals without D’Angelo. Make no mistake about that,” Ham told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson.
He praised Russell’s ability to seamlessly collaborate with star players LeBron James and Anthony Davis, citing his former NBA All-Star status and highlighting his continuous development as a young player yet to reach his prime.
“His ability to play alongside LeBron and AD and his individual skill set, he’s a former NBA All-Star, a very young player still just not getting into his groove yet in terms of hitting his prime… It was HUGE for us,” Ham added.
The decision to retain Russell aligns with the Lakers’ strategy to maintain team cohesion, with Ham emphasizing their intent to preserve their core group without introducing disruptive changes.
According to Ham, the team’s emphasis on continuity was paramount. Rather than introducing potentially disruptive elements that could require several months to integrate, the Lakers opted to reassemble their existing core crew while integrating complementary pieces seamlessly.
“And again, continuity was the key word for us. We didn’t want to ‘blow up’ the team and bring in all these mismatched pieces to take 3 to 5 months to figure things out,” he said.
“We wanted to bring back our same crew, our core crew and add pieces that would seamlessly blend into what we got going on.”
