The case for and against D’Angelo Russell

The case for and against D’Angelo Russell

run from it avoid it Dodge it do whatever you can it all comes the same the rumor that has divided magic F since it popped up in March April the case for and against dandel Russell on today’s lock on Magic you are locked on Magic your daily Orlando Magic podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and you are indeed locked on Magic today is June 5th 2024 my name is Phil prosman M I’m the senior writer over at Orlando magic.com of course find me on Twitter at Philip rror on today’s episode of locked on Magic we’re going to do it we’re going to make the case for and against the Orlando Magic signing dandel Russell I know Lakers fans have talked a long time about the potential of the magic poaching Russell I know a lot of magic fans are still very divided so we’re g to dive into why Russell is an option and why he may not be the right option and we’re gonna close the show actually and talk a little bit about the risks that are at play for the Orlando Magic and and what risks the magic are willing to take we’re gonna get to all that coming up here in just a moment but first we want to thank you again for making lock on Magic part of your day every day no matter when you listen to us whether it’s first in the morning whether it’s right when we upload we truly appreciate you making lockdown magic part of your day every day remember there’s a great lockon podcast covering every single team in the NBA to search for lockon and the team you’re looking for the lockon podcast Network it’s your team every day so I think the the first time I came on here and addressed DeAndre Russell rumors I believe I was in a hotel room in New Orleans um as the magic were getting ready to play the New Orleans Pelicans and talked a little bit about at this point it just feels like any guard who can shoot is going to get connected to the Orlando Magic and and that has still generally been the case um that that if if that’s a guard that can shoot everyone’s be like oh the magic needs shooting just just go with that and okay I will admit and freely admit this that the logic there makes sense whether it’s Klay Thompson whether it’s Paul George whoever it is there’s a little bit of that going on here I always caution when it came to free agency that the magic at that point didn’t really know what they needed at that point I don’t think the magic understood what they were looking for because as I said throughout the course of the season the m magic needed to see what worked and didn’t work in the playoffs they needed to see where their holes really were and so of course we’ve come we’ve come out of that playoffs we’ve come out of that series with the Cleveland Cavaliers and said very very clearly like yes this this team needs another guy who can score another attacker someone that can just ease and relieve the pressure on poo banero on fron vogner just someone who can make life easier for them they don’t need a point guard who can take over completely they don’t need a guy who’s just going to pound the ball into the dirt but they need an organizer and they need a floor spacer and if they can be a potential 30o scorer then even better and so I I don’t remember exactly what I said I think I was pretty dismissive of the idea in April now that we’ve been through this playoff series now that we’ve been through this I think a lot of us are and can card say maybe a player like dandel Russell and the skill set he brings particularly on offense maybe that is what the magic need look dandel Russell had a very solid season in a contract year with the Lakers he averaged 18 points per game and 6.3 assists per game shot 41 and a half% from three on 7.2 attempts per game so there’s your volume and your efficiency playing off of a big playmaking forward like LeBron James um who would be very similar to poo banero Russell had five games of 30 or more points and 18 of 25 or more it’s not that the mag you know magic obviously need scoring they need guys who can make shots but this gives you a new d a new uh you know the same thing that we talked about with Malik monk this gives you a new Dynamic this gives you a player who can step up and step up to the plate and and who can just Elevate his game and and some nights some nights you know maybe fron is out d’angel Russell can step in and be the starter this was a criticism I had to the magic all year long when all the pieces in the puzzle were not perfectly in place players didn’t really Elevate their roles and d’angel Russell is a former Allstar still wants to flirt with stardom at times this is a guy that can on occasion be that guy you don’t want him doing it the whole year you don’t want him being your top guy but every week and a half if he’s your leading score you’re not going to be terribly upset with that the magic need another downhill attacker they need another excellent they need a floor spacer they need a point guard who can distribute the ball a little bit theangel Russell checks those boxes when we think about what the magic are looking for offensively at least on the surface here deangel Russell checks those boxes he has hasn’t scored fewer than 15 points per game since his rookie year in 2016 he averaged 7.23 Point attempts per game which is huge so I think Gary Harris led the team in three-o or not Gary Harris J Jaylen Suggs led the team in three-point attempts per game with five Orlando was 29th in the league in attempts uh total he has not averaged fewer than five three-point attempts per game since his rookie year he shot better than 35% from three in all but two seasons of his career on top of this according to data from second Spectrum Russell shot 43% on catch and shoot Threes And even made 39.1% of his pull-up threes on 2.8 attempts per game he is willing to step up and just take a three which is something really no what you know pow will do it occasionally fron doesn’t really do that the magic to spe guys were willing to take threes and keep defenses honest Palo Caro here here’s a stat Palo Bano led the magic and pull up three-pointers with 2.6 per game at 32 point 2% no one else took more than two per game so Russell would give the magic again a big thing that I’ve been focused on and thinking about is the magic needs some offensive diversity they need to be able to change how they attack and just make the de keep the defense off balance a little bit D’Angelo Russell can do that he can play off of poo Bank Carol and France Walker he does not need the ball in his hands because he’s such an excellent catch and shoot player but he can also attack and be another playmaker another downhill attacker for this team from a just very conceptual Point deand Russell fits the bill on offense everything we’ve talked about offensively that the magic could need dandel Russell seems to do and and you know we’ll get to the baggage I’m gonna make I I’ll I’ll get to the case why not the people who are arguing that that the magic should Chase DLo they have a point I I’m not going to deny that um there are questions we’ll get to them but they have a point because at the end of the day the magic need scorers the magic need guys who can put the ball in the basket and yes Russell struggled in the playoffs we’re going to talk about that in a bit um that is a concern especially playing off of LeBron because it’s you know it’s palan be able to do more than LeBron does hopefully one day yes um but you know we’re probably not there yet DeAndre Russell at least on the surface is the kind of guard the magic are looking for not a point guard that’s gonna pound dirt and hold the ball too long but someone who’s not afraid to score and not afraid to take over someone who could play off the magic stars and on occasion be a star on his own go back to what Pao benero told Ben goer of the Washington Post he said I want to be an offensive Hub I need a table Setter someone’s going to get the ball to me in Easy spots someone’s going to get me some easy baskets but someone who can still also play off of me that’s essentially what Pao was asking for what Pao is is hoping to Magic add this offseason I think a lot of us feel the same way I think a lot of us feel like the magic don’t need this ball dominant figure this ball dominant point guard a lot of us feel that the magic don’t need it don’t need someone like that they have a lot working for them they need someone who can play off of those guys and then when the matchup calls for it be able to take over be able to give this team an added element it’s why d’angel Russell and Malik buk are probably ahead of tyus Jones on the Magic’s point guard wish list it’s why Anthony Simons is probably ahead of tus Jones on the on the offseason wish list it’s because this team does need a player who can Elevate his game and say what you want about d’angel Russell he can do that he’s not afraid of big moments not afraid of big shots not afraid to shoot the ball that’s what he does and that is something the magic absolutely need but and there’s always a but it’s no guarantee that that’s what the magic would get and it’s no guarantee that Russell is anything more or that it’s it’s no guarantee that Russell is what we think he is we’re going to get to why d’angel Russell is is not that answer coming up here in just a moment but first today’s episode of lock on Magic is brought to you by friends at better help we all carry around different stressors big and small it could be something little like like something going on something like bugging you at work it could be something big like a big emotional issue that you’re dealing with we all carry it around and keeping the bottled up is not going to help you it’s going to affect you negatively it’s going to make things worse it could make you lash out at other people that don’t deserve it that that happens to all of us and look it’s okay to make mistakes it’s okay to sometimes let that bubble over it happens but therapy is a safe space to get these things off your chest before that happens and to figure out how to work through whatever is weighing you down I am someone who’s believed in therapy my entire life it has helped me so much to just see my problem s from a different perspective to give me a different look and and frankly just a safe place to Bubble over sometimes to let to let the the the pot you know let the pot kind of boil over a little bit and and just get it out get it out of my system just kind of flush the system it’s like a mental flush it’s it’s it’s helpful um therapy can really really help in in a wide variety of ways it’s not just about dealing with anger or emotions it’s just having a friendly ear to listen if you’re thinking of of starting therapy give better help a try it’s entirely online designed to be convenient flexible and suited to your schedule just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapist anytime for no additional charge get it off your chest with betterhelp visit betterhelp.com lockon NBA today to get 10% off your first month that’s betterhelp hp.com lockon NBA we want to thank you for making lock on Magic part of your day every day be sure to check out the lockon sports today 247 streaming Channel with the NBA finals and the Stanley Cup Final coming up in the next week you’ve got to get ready for championship trophies to be handed out and the best place to do that to get the local analysis of all the top sports stories of the day whether it’s locked on women’s basketball whether it’s locked on Celtics locked on Mavericks locked on Panthers or locked on Oilers on sports today is going to bring it to you 247 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app check it out today to get the can’t miss analysis opinions and news again streaming 247 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app that’s part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day so anytime something feels too good to be true um the journalist in me always has to be a little bit skeptical like nothing is ever a home Runner we’re going get get to some of that and some of that debate and some of that you know some of those questions coming up here in a minute too um but we have to start here yes d’angel Russell checks off a lot of boxes in theory of what he can do and the kind of player he can be in theory he is an excellent off ball point guard excellent three-point shooter all these things that it just feels like this is what the magic need but I think this has been the issue with Russell throughout his career the idea of who d’angel Russell is is never fully realized he’s never you know he’s never quite lived up to all the potential and all the promise that he shows yes he will have good moments H and have great Seasons it’s not like he’s a terrible player I’m not sitting here saying he’s a terrible player but the idea of what he is doesn’t always match up to the reality and it even goes back to when he was with the Brooklyn Nets LED them to the playoffs in 2019 and didn’t really perform well in the playoffs and if you look at his playoff record he has struggled in the playoffs um he has struggled in the playoffs in pretty much his entire career he struggled in Minnesota after he left Brooklyn he struggled in Golden state after he after he left there he’s had his ups and downs with the Lakers and it got worse in the playoffs and and look at the end of the day what we’re talking about is the playoffs the magic need playoff performers and yes I know fron Vagner struggled in the playoffs and especially struggled in game seven the magic aren’t giving up on a 21 2122 year old in his first playoffs the measure of fron Vagner the measure of what he gives you and we’ll talk about fron um probably next week we we’ll do we’ll do a big fron episode um fron has to show us he can Bond and and that’ll be the question as we Ponder whether he will get a Max contract in his extension whether you know we’ll Ponder all that uh we’ll Ponder all that coming up soon um but here’s the facts about Danel Russell he averages 17.8 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 36.9% for three in the regular season not terrible numbers in the playoffs he averages 14.2 points per game 4.8 assists per game and 32.7 % shooting from three he scored only 14.2 points per game and shot 31.8% from three in last year’s playoffs with the Lakers the fact of the matter is again this is where the idea of who d’angel Russell is is very different than what you’re getting he just hasn’t performed in the playoffs whatever works in the regular season in the playoffs teams are able to Target his weaknesses and either he can’t overcome them or simply he just hasn’t stepped up enough and maybe it’s too small of a sample size but he’s been in a league A While on top of this I have to think and looking a little bit deeper into the numbers I have to think some of Russell’s numbers are a little inflated he’s been on some good teams so he’s not like completely you know good stats bad bad team player but I think the playoffs and his playoff struggles reveal that he’s not generating the kinds of looks are are create are creating the kinds of looks that you know he’s getting numbers but those looks aren’t translating to the playoffs according to data from basketball index Russell rates as a below average passer for his role this is despite creating 16.12 assist points for 75 possessions he creates only 3.8 high value assists for 75 possessions last year that’s assists that lead to a layup three-pointer or free throw layup or D three-pointer or free throw assists that lead to easy baskets and to me like that is the the big part what the magic are looking for in a point guard is someone to make Pao B Caro’s life easier to get him an easy shot to get him a ball in the dunker spot to make fron vogner’s shot uh a job easier to get him an open three in Rhythm and so yes d’angel Russell’s getting a lot of assists but are they high value assists and again they’re not translating to the playoffs this this is a this is no small thing I I don’t want to like overblow this because it’s you know it playoff performances are based off matchups and all that but this is I don’t think this is a small thing it is fairly consistent over several playoff Seasons that d’angel Russell does not meet his averages does not rise to the occasion and Russell has made big shots you know he does the ice in his veins celebration like he kind of made that a thing in the NBA I feel like um but he isn’t showing up when it matters and if I were the magic I’d be very careful about paying a player who does not show up in the playoffs and I I get it I am going to probably advocate for fron vogner getting a Max um I get that call me out of my hyp hypocrisy on that I think their situations are very different deand Russell should be the veteran you’re adding to stabilize this team to stabilize this lineup to stabilize this roster and all the signs point to this guy just puts up numbers and while those numbers are great and they would help this team a lot those numbers don’t equal winning and then we have to get to the price on top of this Danel Russell not considered a good Defender he’s you know Lakers were a good defensive team so it’s not like he can’t fit into a good defensive team but he is someone that teams Target in the playoffs and so you have to figure out how to play around that too then we get to the matter of price uh Russell is opting out of a contract that’s going to pay him I believe $18 million next season he is obviously looking for more and $8.7 million there are some people that believe he is hunting for a contract in the $25 million range if the magic are going to make him a starter that might be the range that he’s hoping to get I would say this I’m not paying d’el Russell $25 million even in this new cap environment I I’m not touching that but he’s going to get 2021 he’s gonna get 23 like if it’s Malik monk or d’angel Russell getting 23 million go back and listen to my Malik Monk episode I think I’d rather have monk I think I trust monk to grow into a playoff performer and grow into a better playmaker even at the magic slower Pace than Russell would I don’t think either are perfect answers and I think that gets to one of the frankly not one of that gets to the big question of the off season because we could talk about all these players and you know we go through the pros and cons ultimately who the magic decide to pursue is not only just about whether they agree to a contract or not that’s obviously big part of it um who the magic ultimately decide to pursue comes down to what risk they’re comfortable taking and I think that’s really what we’re debating in all of this I’m gonna dive and explore that coming up here in just a moment but first it’s time for quick word for our friends over at FanDuel it’s winner take all time in the NBA and NHL the NBA Finals the Stanley Cup are here and FanDuel is giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s 150 bucks to bet on spreads money lines player props and more FanDuel offers so many opportunities to bet on the NBA Finals to bet on pretty much anything going on you’re looking at the NBA finals Boston six and a half Point favorite for game one at the moment Boston heavy favorites to win the championship at minus 225 you can bet on that or get go plus 188 on the Dallas Mavericks if you’re looking ahead to uh international friendlies coming up here in the next uh next couple weeks uh I don’t I’m kind of going through the list here I don’t see USA Brazil listed yet double check this uh I I don’t see USA Brazil listed yet but I see Mexico Brazil uh listed here with uh you know potential potential for uh draw as draw here at plus 250 Brazil favored in that one Brazil of course playing the United States here in uh Orlando next week USA Colombia is is is on that board USA plus 155 um plus 210 for draw you can get all these great odds for even these international friendlies over at so visit fanduel.com lockon and make every playoff shot count FanDuel is America’s number one Sportsbook so we’ve gone through here on this show and if you missed it uh last week I did the case forign against tus Jones the week before that I did the case forign against Malik monk I’m hoping to do some more of these kind of deep dives into individual free agents I’m trying to do one a week trying to balance this out here a little bit over you know we’ll get deeper into free agency after the draft obviously we’ll get deeper into the draft draft week but we trying to balance everything out do season recap do draft do free agency all that stuff um we’ve done the three big point guard free agencies though free agents though uh and we did a whole episode actually on trading for Anthony Simons as well so it’s all it’s all there for you if you want to take a listen uh in our archives and each time each time you know we talked about these things I think we’re dancing around the issue I think we’re dancing around the real question of what the magic are going to do and it’s it’s it’s clear to me looking at all these options in front of them that there is no perfect player there there is no perfect answer to what the magic are looking for to that very specific thing the magic are looking for there’s no perfect answer to it there’s no perfect player there’s no point to that player and say that’s the guy we need don’t bother with anybody else we are going to we are having and I see it among the fans there are fan debates about Das Jones there are fan debates about D’Andre Russell you could probably go into the comments see the debate going on I’m expecting this to you know be please be respectful if you’re going to comment um everyone’s point is valid there’s a good case and a good case against signing d’angel Russ I’m not going to sit here and deny that uh I will say officially I’m against it I I I think the playoff thing is a real thing and a real problem and go get Anthony Simons if you’re looking for that um I think tus Jones is probably a little too safe but at the end of the day like this is the question what are the magic willing to risk what part of their team are they willing to risk to get better offense to get better shooting in all instances they’re going to have to risk a little bit of their defense they’re going to have to risk that we’re going to have to find a way to cover for a player defensively or integrate this player defensively in a way that he can be successful tus Jones struggled mightily on defense with the Washington Wizards um which they all struggled but they were worse with him on the floor not meaningfully better in Memphis but he’s been in a winning defensive team but is he GNA be a Target in the playoffs is he gonna be able to stand up in the playoffs the magic are playing for the playoffs now so we got the magic have to be thinking how is this going to work in the playoffs how is this guy gonna perform in the playoffs and there is again no clearcut person clear-cut guard clear-cut player that just makes it all make sense everything is going to come with a risk every player the magic might acquire is going to come with the chance that that player is not going to work out or that that player is not going to be the exact thing the magic need that is that is kind of the truth of it um you know tyus Jones anthy Simons Malik monk d’el Russell are not good Defenders again it’s it’s going to be a real question of how much the magic will sacrifice defensively or how confident they are in their defense in their ability to step up on defense is you know going for a non-traditional point guard like Malik monk who’s more of a shooter who’s never been a starter by the way he’s always come off the bench he’s looking to be a starter is that going to work like it it will the magic get the playmaking that they need with a guy who’s not a natural point guard is tus Jones too solid of a point guard in that he doesn’t give you that elevated play I I I do not envy Jeff wman in making these decisions criticize him all you want I think he made the right call at the deadline standing Pat I think the way the magic finish season vouches for that um I think he made the right decision betting on this team’s chemistry but now you’re adding a new player to the mix and you’re good you have to that’s that’s that’s the the way of the world rebottling and repackaging the chemistry and the caderie that this team had last year is going to be impossible to do but the magic are gonna have to try and find a way to get close to it it’s going to be different there’s going to be hiccups there’s going to be growing pains as they integrate great new players but how much can they upset that apple cart how much do they know that this guy will fit in with what we’re trying to do we we talked about this with Keith Smith last week of Keith Smith of spot TR we talked about this last week the magic aren’t gonna go out there and get a guy who’s a problem if intel says the guy’s a problem they don’t want that guy um but you don’t know necessarily who the problem are until they’re with the group because yes ego plays a role who you know the guy you’re bringing in Pao is very clearly the number one but the guy you’re bringing in is going to be the highest paid player on the team Jonathan Isaac right now is the highest paid player on the team at $7 million you’re paying someone 2223 million a year to start a shooting guard start a point guard um France will get his max poo will get his max Jaylen Suggs will probably get a 25 26 27 million year contract the the magic the Magic’s salary sheet is going to start looking like their scoring averages pretty soon but there’s ego involved and absolutely the pressure of winning changes how everyone attacks things there is clearly no perfect solution there’s a reason why there’s a lot of debate and a lot of questions about what the magic are going to do and who they’re going to Target there you the perfect guy to Chase is Derek white but Dereck White’s not available sorry Boston’s not letting that dude go um that’s who I that you know that’s the kind of player I’m looking for it’s a Derek white um but the magic have to ask themselves no matter who they’re getting what are we losing and what are we gaining and what are the chances that what we lose or what we’re gambling on will pan out in the end it’s it’s not a sure thing there is no sure thing for this Orlando Magic team and we are at a very careful and important time in this team’s development as we begin to set in stone who this team is going to be for the next two three four five years and whether their Championship window is wide open or not open at all I want to thank you all again for listening to today’s episode of lock on Magic course find me on Twitter Philip romd subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcast s your tuned in himay Google play Spotify Odyssey and all the fun St podcast to your podcast na device you can find us on YouTube as well just search for locked on Magic for ladies the Orlando Magic be sure to check out Orlando Magic daily.com you can find us there on Twitter at o Magic daily and for player evaluations and so much more Orlando Magic content check out my work at my patreon page the Orlando magichub that’s at patreon.com Orlando Magic hub now that you’re done listen to us be sure to check out the lockdown sports today 247 streaming Channel on YouTube and now available on Amazon Fire TV and the free Fire TV channels I have lock on sportsday here for you 247 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local Experts of lockon plus our national shows covering every League find locked on sports today now available on the free Fire TV channels app on tomorrow’s episode of Locked on Magic we’re going to go over magic related storylines what magic fans should be watching and taking note of at as the NBA Finals begin we’ll talk NBA finals on tomorrow’s episode of lock on Magic but until then for Orlando Magic daily and lockon Magic this has been Philip rossik we’ll see you again next time for another episode of lockon magic

The Orlando Magic have been connected on several instances to D’Angelo Russell. And he is the kind of player that has divided the fan base for and against him throughout the offseason. So what is the appeal of adding a player like Russell and why should the Magic avoid him?

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOMagic?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

#OrlandoMagic #PaoloBanchero #NBA

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.
BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.
eBay Motors
From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.
PrizePicks
Go to https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNBA and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)