Los Angeles Lakers player D’Angelo Russell has been delivering in the ongoing NBA season. Along with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the 28-year-old has emerged as one of the team’s lead scorers and an instrumental part in the limited success the franchise has gotten this season. The same was seen during the team’s recent game against the Atlanta Hawks, during which the player dropped a game-high 28 points and helped them win 136-105. This led to the head coach Darvin Ham highlighting the player’s importance in a recent statement.
According to Lakers Nation, when sharing his thoughts on Russell, Darvin Ham added that D’Angelo Russell doesn’t just have a green line from him, he has a “green room.” This led to the player putting out his response, during which he stated “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.”
D'Angelo Russell's response:
"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." https://t.co/ptdjUzsNsy
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) March 19, 2024
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Russell’s comments may or may not have been a veiled reference to his former teammate and current Nets player Dennis Schroder. Russell has often implied that the head coach allegedly preferred Schroder due to them sharing decade-old history when both coach and player were part of the Atlanta Hawks. This may have allegedly given Russell the impression that his Lakers teammate was given special attention not because of his performance as a Lakers player but because of their bond.
Even though they have not been teammates for over a year now, some tension continues to exist between the NBA players. An example of the same was seen barely a few days ago.
Dennis Schroder responds to D’Angelo Russell’s comments
D’Angelo Russell recently gave an interview to ESPN. He used the platform as an opportunity to highlight his problems with Dennis Schroder, going so far so as to say “His relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn’t have a relationship with Darvin”. He reportedly stated that when times were hard for him and the Lakers, he couldn’t come up to the coach and say, ‘Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.’ This led to Russell believing that the existence of a proper dialogue is what resulted in their eventual failure.
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“And we got swept and I’m here and he’s not” continued Russell. “And I like our chances.”
Once the interview was out, it didn’t take long for Schroder to comment. According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the German player fired back by stating “I don’t understand it. But at the end of the day, it just shows off immaturity. You’re not really mature if you’re just keeping somebody’s name in his mouth and just running it. I don’t understand.”
What are your thoughts on D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder’s relationship? Let us know in the comments down below.
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