SUMMARY
- Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell have been playing well recently.
- LeBron James opined they can take pressure away from him and AD.
The Los Angeles Lakers have added yet another victory to their tragic spiral of inconsistent ups and downs. LeBron James and his team faced off against the New York Knicks on February 3, 2024, at Madison Square Garden. The team is now riding on a two-game winning streak after sweeping the hardwood by an 8-point lead against the Empire City team.
In a practice session with the boys, ‘The Akron Hammer’ stated some facts about the youngsters on the roster. Talking about the duo of Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, James issues a 4-word message. LeBron said, “Be in attack mode.” Expressing his thoughts over the fact that since these two are playing aggressively, that alone is enough to take pressure off himself and Anthony Davis.
Bron on D’lo/Austin being aggressive:
“It just takes pressure off me & AD. No matter if they’re making shots or not we need them to be aggressive…D’lo & AR are our 2 attackers and we need them to be in attack mode.” pic.twitter.com/X08coCGzp3
— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) February 3, 2024
After all, the LeBron-Davis-less team did establish its dominance in the prime-time game against the Boston Celtics. These two guards indeed equip the team with better backcourt coverage in the absence of Gabe Vincent. Although trade rumors surrounded Russell earlier this season, the team seems to give it a second thought, as the duo is giving impeccable dividends after making the starting lineup.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves are back in the starting lineup
While competing in the 2022–23 playoffs, Reaves and Russell displayed immense versatility in terms of offense. However, the duo has only spent a short time together in the starting lineups, ever since the 2023–2024 season started. It’s worth noting that the pair didn’t have any chance to make a case in the starting lineup after November 8, 2023, vs. the Houston Rockets. The California team succumbed to a tragic 34-point loss that night.
However, the duo again made it to the starting lineup vs. the Utah Jazz. What’s astonishing is that the two names have become a daily affair with respect to the starting five now. ‘AR-15’ and ‘D’Lo’ have now started 10 games together as the team took over the Knicks tonight. In these 10 games, the roster has witnessed 6 wins and 4 losses.
D’Angelo Russell wants to have Austin Reaves on his podcast
After establishing a 127-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks on January 17, 2024, Russell unveiled his likeness for his camaraderie. Their off-court friendship has evolved a new angle lately since the Lakers seem to be making their way out of the losing rut. Another reason for this friendship is their playing trajectory this season. Both started as the original first five backcourts and were then benched one after the other.
Lakers starting backcourt (once again) D’Angelo Russell & Austin Reaves exchanged compliments postgame. Golf was mentioned, podcasts were promoted.
DLo: “I just like him.”
When DLo noted he’s been in the league 9 years (not 7), Austin replied, “We can’t all be one and dones.” pic.twitter.com/r2oFXA4lB7
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 16, 2024
In a post-game interview, Russell said, “I like him; I’m just a fan of him.” Adding to his views, the star guard revealed, “So, I mean, we golf together. He’s going to be on my podcast soon. We hang out. I’m a fan.” Well, as the off-court friendship is brewing, the on-court offense might witness some improvement.