Laker Nation will be trying to forget the Western Conference Finals. Despite battling odds as the seventh-seed to come as far as the WCF, the Los Angeles Lakers were swept by Denver. While superstar LeBron James broke a sweat for LA with a 40-point show, some of his teammates failed to bring out their best. Shortly after the elimination, one such LA star was at the end of some harsh statements from an NBA veteran.

Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell played a key role in LA’s post-season run. During the elimination game, however, when it arguably matters the most, DLo failed to step up. The former player, who had previously called out Russell, has now given clarity on the entire tirade.

NBA veteran clarifies his past outrage on Los Angeles Lakers D’Angelo Russell

In the elimination game against the Denver Nuggets, LA’s D’Angelo Russell came off the bench. The All-Star guard played 15 minutes in the losing battle. Those 15 minutes were far from impactful. DLo attempted four shots from the field and netted two. Ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas couldn’t hold back his criticism of Russell. “D-Lo took — how many shots did he take after the last game? Probably 200. To come to the next game to take 2 shots! Get the f**k off my team! The f**k you doing on my team for,” Arenas said on his podcast.

In his recent interview with VladTV, however, Arenas clarified his angst and tirade on D’Angelo Russell. “I loved you[D’Angelo Russell] in series one and two. You got us there. You played well. This series I am not liking your performance and that’s how it is. You just got to separate it. You know first two rounds DLo’s my guy. This one, I don’t like this DLo,” said the former Wizard. The host reminded Arenas that he had asked DLo to “get the f**k out of his team.”

Arenas smiled and said, “Like I’m the owner, right? Like I’m the owner, right?” Gil further explained why he was disappointed with D’Angelo Russell’s WCF gameplay, also highlighting the expectations he had of a player like DLo.

Gilbert Arenas explains the problems he had with D’Angelo Russell’s display

Arenas pointed out that LeBron James perhaps felt so low after the sweep as his teammates did not perform at a “decent level.” The Wizards veteran added that Russell came up with a lackluster display in the series, despite putting in unreal efforts to prepare for the game. Arenas reiterated his opinion on DLo taking 200 shots to prepare for the game and only attempting four during the game. Arenas concluded his comments by demanding Rusell to be more aggressive in the games, instead of giving up after failed attempts.

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Even now, Gilbert Arenas has not backtracked on his critique of the All-Star guard. Gil candidly revealed, however, the faith he has in a star like D’Angelo Russell. Anyhow, DLo will have to wait till the next season to earn his stripes back from Arenas. He might not do it as a Laker, as he will be looking at free agency this summer.

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