The Los Angeles Lakers have found new life late in the season. They have improved to a 36-30 record and are threatening to take Dallas’ 8th spot in the Western Conference standings. A major reason for the Lakers’ recent success has been the resurgence of D’Angelo Russell. D’Lo has been an offensive juggernaut since finding his name in the trade rumors. And WNBA legend Chiney Ogwumike believes LeBron James needs to take a backseat to fully unleash Russell.

D’Angelo is the most productive when he has the ball in his hands. But LeBron primarily runs the Lakers’ offense, and it is hard for D’Lo to take the reins from the 4-time Champion. However, Chiney believes Russell has earned the right to ask LeBron for the ball-handling responsibility with his recent scoring outburst. “We all know LeBron James defers when you earn it.” Chiney said.

Russell has proven that he can help the Lakers win as an offensive facilitator. That is evident from the Lakers’ record when D’Lo plays well. LeBron James and Co. have a 16-7 record when D’Angelo scores 20+ points in a game. However, that record drops to 20-18 when D’Lo scores less than 20 points. But most importantly, the Lakers are 0-5 without D’Angelo in the lineup. That shows D’Angelo’s impact on the Lakers’ performance this season. This might be the perfect time for LeBron to put his trust in D’Angelo and let him facilitate the Lakers’ offense. D’Lo is averaging 22.5 points in the last 26 games and has improved his 3-point shooting percentage to 46. If Russell continues his incredible form, LeBron and AD can take a backseat and use that time to recover from their lingering injuries.

Kendrick Perkins believes D’Angelo Russell has not earned LeBron’s respect yet

While Chiney was pleading D’Angelo’s case, her co-panellist Kendrick Perkins was not too pleased with the idea. “Timeout. You earn that respect when it matters the most. In the post-season.” Perkins believes D’Angelo has not earned LeBron’s respect yet because of his abysmal performance in last season’s playoffs. Russell’s stats dropped significantly in the 2023 playoffs, and he was practically a no-show in the Western Conference Finals against the Nuggets.

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According to Perkins, D’Angelo needs to prove himself in the post-season, just like Austin Reaves, to get a green light from King James. He can start to work toward that in the remaining 16 regular-season games. The Lakers are fighting to grab a higher seed before the playoffs start. If D’Angelo can continue his form till the end of the season and help the Lakers win, LeBron will probably hand him the reins during the playoffs when it matters the most.