D’Angelo Russell tied the Los Angeles Lakers franchise record for 3-pointers in a season last night (3/18) against the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA star is one 3 away from breaking Nick Van Exel‘s franchise record for 3s in a season.
Van Exel made 183 3s during the 1994-95 season.
“It’s really cool, honestly, just to know that, to get credit for it,” Russell said, via ESPN. “It’s just really cool. I said I don’t want to underdo it, understate it, overdo it. I just feel like it’s really cool to just be a part of something like that. I think I did something like that in Brooklyn, as well. Just to get credit for your game and what you work through and showcase it every night.”
Russell is averaging 18.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists this season while shooting 46.9% from the field, 42.4% from beyond the arc and 80.6% from the free-throw line.
After the Lakers beat the Hawks, head coach Darvin Ham said Russell doesn’t have a green light. Instead, Ham said Russell has a green room.
“I mean, I just appreciate him trusting me to that extent,” Russell said of Ham. “Definitely try to feel like I earned something like that and it wasn’t given. So, to know that that’s something I put the work in to do and put the work and continue to do, it seems normal for me, humbly.”
Russell is 14th in the NBA in made 3s. He will make Lakers history on Friday (3/22) against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“He’s able to get going and fill up the stat sheet with his scoring, and it’s a big thing for him, big thing for us as a team,” Lakers star Anthony Davis said of Russell. “Obviously, there’s been a lot going on around D-Lo, and just to be able to do that and us embrace him and he sees that, feels the love, that’s good for him.”
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