Outside shooting isn’t a particular strength of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023-24 NBA season, but from time to time, they will burn their opponents with their 3-point sniping. Take for example their performance in Monday night’s 136-105 decimation of the Atlanta Hawks at home, with the Purple & Gold going 15/36 (41.7%) from behind the arc.
D’Angelo Russell was the deadliest shooter for the Lakers in the Hawks game, with the former Ohio State Buckeyes star scoring 27 points behind his brilliant 6/10 performance from 3-point range.
D’Angelo Russell Reacts To Darvin Ham’s ‘Green Room’ Comment After Los Angeles Lakers’ Win Vs. Hawks
Following the Lakers’ conquest of the Trae Young-less Hawks, Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham praised Russell’s 3-point shooting.
“He’s hands down the best shooter on this team, and we have a few. I want him to be as aggressive as possible… His prowess from the 3-point line is really elite and we need every bit of it,” Ham said of Russell (h/t Lakers Nation).
Ham also said that Russell has more than a green light to shoot from deep. Russell has a he has a “green room,” Ham added.
Russell then shared his thoughts on what Ham said.
“I appreciate him trusting me to that extent. It’s nice to feel like I earned something like that and wasn’t just given it,” the 28-year-old guard said.
Russell is knocking down 2.9 3-pointers per game on a 42.4 percent success rate. He is on pace to finish the season with a career-high 3-point shooting percentage. Prior to this season, Russell, who has a player option to decide on for the 2024-25 NBA campaign, had never shot better than 39.7% from deep in his career.
More must-reads: