The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves down at ninth in the standings in the Western Conference with a 41-32 record in this 2023-24 season. The Lakers are currently battling to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament, but D'Angelo Russell believes they are much better than their record indicates.
"I think we’re much better than our record," Russell said. "We match up, adjust, and do all these different things in the flow of the game. The problem is we’ve got 12 different guys that can be out there. When that random group of five is out there, the familiarity with what we’re trying to do is on the fly. A lot of teams have five or six guys that know they’re always going to have an idea who’s going to be in and where’s this and that."
Russell also states that the Lakers are using these 82 games to prepare for the postseason and that they are still figuring some things out. He added that the team is hitting their stride now and he likes where they are.
Well, the Lakers are currently on their longest winning streak of the season, having won their last five games. You ideally want to see a team playing well at the business end of the campaign and the Lakers are doing just that. Are they much better than their record, though? I'm not entirely sure about that.
Former NFL head coach Bill Parcells once famously said, "You are what your record says you are." The reason the Lakers are where they are is because they have been very inconsistent for much of the season.
We saw them win the In-Season Tournament and then proceed to have a ton of head-scratching losses. The Lakers are on a good run at the moment, but I need to see them keep this up a bit longer to declare that inconsistency is a thing of the past for them.
Do I think this group has what it takes to go on a deep playoff run? Well, it depends on the matchup. If they end up facing the Denver Nuggets or the Sacramento Kings in the first two rounds, I think that's the end of the road, as the Lakers are 0-7 against those two teams this season. If they can somehow avoid those two in the first two rounds, I would give LA a chance at making it back to the Western Conference Finals.
D'Angelo Russell Says He Never Lacks Confidence
Russell has played his part in the Lakers' recent success. After a rough first half of the season, the 28-year-old has found his groove and has put in some special performances. Russell stated he never lacks confidence and that the public humiliation he has suffered has molded him into the killer he is today.
"On the floor, I’ve always felt like I was capable of doing things, getting hot makes it a little more exciting. Off the floor, obviously you all know what I’ve been through. Public humiliation has done nothing but mold me into the killer that you all see today. I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation."
"I want all the smoke. … I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game, so whatever room I walk in, I’m confident.”
Russell is now averaging 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game this season. He has crossed the 20-point mark in four of his last five games and the Lakers would be hoping he can keep this up when they get to the playoffs.
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