D’Angelo Russell unbothered by benching, says he ‘just wants to win’

After being moved to the bench, D’Angelo Russell was adamant he was not bothered by the move and just wants to help the Lakers win.

D’Angelo Russell has had quite the journey in his NBA career. He’s been traded many, many times. He’s been a constant name in trade rumors. He’s been an All-Star and a scapegoat.

That voyage led him to Friday, where he was surprisingly moved to the bench for the Lakers in their return to Crypto.com Arena against the Sixers.

Heading into the season, head coach JJ Redick spoke highly of the starting lineup he chose that included Russell. But with D’Lo struggling to find a rhythm this season and the Lakers’ bench struggling to score, Redick pulled the trigger on a lineup change just nine games into the season.

It was the first big move of Redick’s tenure and, at least for the first night, it worked like a charm. Russell had his best game of the season as the Lakers earned a relatively comfortable win over a depleted Sixers side.

“I’m not surprised that he approached the game the way that he did and that he had the performance he had,” Redick said postgame of D’Lo. “He has a really strong desire to win and he has a really strong desire to be coached and our communication level from June 20 to today has been nothing but open, honest and transparent and I would assume it will continue to be.

“You see it all the time in the league where guys can take that the wrong way. Like it’s some sort of punishment, like play the victim and D’Lo didn’t do any of that. That’s part of the reason that he had the game that he had.”

Redick insisted that the situation would remain fluid and that nothing was set in stone moving forward. He also noted that, even if he went viral on social media for his reaction to a D’Lo play against the Grizzlies before calling him out postgame, this was not an emotional decision.

Instead, it was a decision Redick made after meeting with his staff on Friday morning. And, in hindsight, his words pregame, when he had already decided to move Russell to the bench despite the public not yet knowing, were very interesting.

“D’Lo and I are good. He’s great,” Redick said. “He’s been a professional. He’s a pick-and-roll player and he’s playing in an offense that doesn’t feature a lot of drag pick and rolls and highball screens and he’s been super professional. He’s been super coachable.”

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

But what was abundantly clear as well postgame was that, whatever the call may be and whenever it may have come, D’Lo is on board with coach and team.

“I just wanted to win,” Russell said. “So whatever it took, change of plans, whatever it is, whatever coach needs, just try to get the win and be a part of that.

“I left all my baggage at the door this summer. Once we changed coaches and new staff came in, I was committed to whatever it takes. So that’s just what ya’ll see.”

It was a constant theme from Russell postgame about wanting to be part of winning. Any question about the benching was downplayed. It was abundantly clear that Russell would not stir things up and simply wanted to do what is best for the team.

It’s quite the change for a player whose exit from his first tenure in Los Angeles involved talk of him not being the leader the Lakers needed, an unreasonable expectation for a player still in his early 20s.

Back then, Russell was benched by Byron Scott as a rookie in a move that, even if unpopular, wasn’t out of the ordinary for a young player. Even last season, Russell’s bench, along with Austin Reaves’, led to the locker room turning against Darvin Ham.

On Friday, though, there was no discontent.

Nothing of his play on the court would have suggested anything different from his postgame comments. He was aggressive in attacking the paint, converting on a number of contested finishes around the rim including a beautiful and-one off a behind-the-back pass from LeBron James.

He finished the night with 18 points on 7-12 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. It was only the third time he’s shot over 50% from the field this season.

It was the play of someone who, truly, was not bothered by the decision from his head coach.

“As far as taking it all this personal and giving you all something, I don’t really have anything,” Russell said. “My approach has been professional from day one and I’m committed to it through not playing through coming off the bench, through whatever it may be. I’m egoless. I just want to win.”

Russell has done a lot of things in his career, but high-level winning has not always been one of them. He helped the Lakers get to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, but he was a complete non-factor in that series to the point of, ironically, being benched in Game 4.

But, as he’s embarking on his 10th year in the league, Russell’s mindset has shifted. He’s spoken of being fully bought into what Redick and the Lakers staff is doing. He gushed at the idea of having structure within the franchise this season.

After talking all the talk, Friday showed he was also ready and willing to walk the walk.

“I really do not look for validation from anybody…I know what I’m capable of,” Russell said. “If I’m in a position to do it, I’m going to thrive. If not, I got to adjust my game and try to figure it out around what’s working. So that’s where we’re at now and like I said, I’m committed to it.

“I don’t need validation. I don’t need coddled. I don’t need praise. I don’t need anything, I swear. I’m strong. I want to showcase that. Being in the blender, keep me in the blender, talk about me, whatever you got to do. I don’t want to be a distraction to my teammates, but I can handle it and I’ll find a way out.”

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.