Although the Lakers had a win rate of nearly 70% in March and April, the Lakers are still in the play-in zone due to the fierce competition in the West this season, and may fall to 10th in the West, or even make it to the playoffs. For the current situation of the Lakers, many fans poured their inner dissatisfaction on Russell, in the Lakers battle a few days ago, the thick eyebrows were injured, Russell should have played the "single savior" but chose to be invisible again, and the label of not being able to play a high-end game was deeply imprinted on him. So, how has Russell really been this season?
Scored more points than James Harden
Although Harden is a three-time scoring champion and the league's premier offensive talent, Russell's scoring average this season is higher than Harden's, Russell averages 18.2 points per game, Harden averages 16.7 points per game, Russell's scoring average ranks 52nd in the league, with 14.3 shots per game, 23.4% of his possession and 45.7% shooting, and Harden averages 11.5 shots per game, 20.8% of his possession and 42.9% of his shots per game. It is worth mentioning that Russell is also averaging more points per game than Klay Thompson, VanVleet and Chet Holmgren.
Assists are stronger than Curry's
It's no secret that Curry is the league's top point guard and playmaker, but Russell has surpassed Curry in assists per game this season. Russell averaged 6.3 assists per game, Curry averaged 5 assists per game, it should be pointed out that Russell is not the Lakers' real No. 1 ball handler, and James, who plays alongside him, averages 7.2 assists per game, and if Russell is allowed to completely control the Lakers' organizational power, his assist statistics will be higher. Russell's organizational ability is really good, in the absence of James, Russell can often activate the team's offense, and even led the team to defeat the league's No. 1 Celtics, in terms of average assists per game, Russell is also higher than Fox, Irving, and Holiday . Russell's assists per game are currently ranked 17th in the league, which is a testament to his talent for playmaking, and a guard who can score and assist is a valuable asset for any team.
The three-point shooting percentage is higher than Durant's
Superstar Durant has been the league's top finisher, and his shooting ability has been widely recognized. But this season, Russell is shooting 41.8 percent from three-point range, while Durant is shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range. This season, Russell is averaging 3 3-pointers on 7.2 shots per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field, while Durant is averaging 2.2 3-pointers per game on 5.4 shots per game, making Russell one of the team's most dangerous players from beyond the three-point line for the Lakers. LeBron James' 3-point target this season is also at a career high, shooting 41.2 percent from the field, equaling Durant, averaging 5.1 shots per game and 2.1 3-pointers per game.
What do the Lakers really want from Russell?
Despite his excellent performance in scoring, organization, and three-point shooting, it seems that the Lakers are not satisfied with his performance, throughout the season, Russell's name is often involved in the Lakers' trade negotiations, it is worth mentioning that Russell is currently only 28 years old, he is in the NBA, in addition, Russell has maintained a low turnover rate in the game, averaging 2.1 turnovers per game, which fully shows his decision-making ability and basketball IQ. And, last summer, in order to stay with the Lakers, Russell chose to renew his contract with the Lakers for 2 years and 37 million, and gave up the right to veto the trade.
In the middle of the season, the Lakers and the Hawks have been discussing a trade for Russell for Murray, and finally gave up because the Hawks' asking price was too high, this season Murray averaged 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, in terms of data, slightly stronger than Russell, but Murray's 3-point shooting rate was 36.1%, and the average turnover rate was 2.5 times per game. Under the second offensive option, if he comes to James and thick eyebrows, Murray's score may shrink a lot, and his shooting cannot meet the Lakers' standards, let alone improve the Lakers' offensive space.
Write to the end:
To be honest, playing next to James, ordinary people really can't withstand this pressure! In addition to being exposed to the spotlight of the media every day, they also have to bear the "coercion" from the boss, and recently American media BR reporter Eric Pincus reported that James pressured the management to trade Wei Shao over, but after Wei Shao came, the effect was not good, and James pressured the management to let them trade Wei Shao away! At this moment, the author believes that after two seasons of tempering in the Lakers, Russell will definitely have the psychological quality to be the boss if he goes to other teams!