D'Angelo Russell's Postseason Woes Continue, Lakers On Brink of Elimination

D'Angelo Russell had a resurgent regular season, but his postseason has been very disappointing. The Lakers guard has struggled to find his shot and has been benched in key moments. Los Angeles is now on the brink of elimination after dropping the first three games of their first-round series to the Denver Nuggets.

D'Angelo Russell has been a major disappointment for the Los Angeles Lakers in the postseason. After a resurgent regular season, Russell has struggled mightily in the playoffs, shooting just 29.4% from the field and 20.0% from three-point range.

In Game 1 of the Lakers' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Russell missed 13 of his final 16 shot attempts and finished with just 11 points. He was even worse in Game 2, shooting 0-for-7 from the field and finishing with zero points.

Russell's struggles continued in Game 3, as he missed all seven of his shots from the field and finished with zero points again. He was benched in the fourth quarter as the Lakers attempted to rally from a 15-point deficit.

Russell's poor play has been a major factor in the Lakers' 0-3 start to the series. The Lakers have been outscored by an average of 11.3 points per game, and Russell has been a major liability on both ends of the floor.

Russell's recent struggles have brought back memories of his offensive issues against the Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference finals. In that series, Russell averaged just 13.8 points per game and shot just 38.5% from the field.

The Lakers are now on the brink of elimination, and Russell needs to find a way to turn things around quickly. If he doesn't, the Lakers will be heading home early.

Here are some of the reasons why Russell has struggled in the postseason:

He is not getting enough good looks. The Nuggets have been doing a good job of defending Russell and preventing him from getting open shots.

He is not taking the right shots. When Russell does get open, he is often taking difficult shots that he is not comfortable with.

* He is not playing with confidence. Russell's confidence has been shaken after his poor performance in the playoffs. He is hesitating to shoot and is not making the same plays that he did during the regular season.

The Lakers need Russell to be a major contributor if they want to have any chance of winning this series. He needs to find a way to get open shots, take the right shots, and play with confidence. If he can do that, the Lakers may be able to turn things around and avoid elimination.

However, if Russell continues to struggle, the Lakers will be in serious trouble. The Nuggets are a tough matchup for the Lakers, and they will be able to win this series if Russell doesn't play better.