During his press conference on Thursday, Lakers coach Darvin Ham said that D’Angelo Russell will remain the team’s starting point guard.
There shouldn’t have been a question regarding Russell’s place within the rotation, especially after the Lakers re-signed him to a two-year deal in July. Russell didn’t play well in the Western Conference Finals, leading to some openly questioning if he would move to the bench. Ham made it clear that D’Lo remains his starting point guard, likely providing a confidence boost with the proclamation, especially with Gabe Vincent being signed in free agency. While he was a top 75 player in 9-cat per-game value for the entire season, Russell ranked outside the top 150 after the February trade deadline. There should be a greater level of comfort in playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis than there was after he was traded, so look for Russell to provide greater fantasy value in 2023-24.