The Los Angeles Lakers have played 10 games in the 2024-25 season, and aside from Anthony Davis, their performance has been inconsistent.
One player who has struggled is guard D’Angelo Russell, who was even benched by head coach JJ Redick for a game. After getting a break on Saturday, Russell decided to watch the South Bay Lakers play their season opener in the G League.
South Bay played against the Salt Lake City Stars and won easily, 110-96. The team had control of the game from the start and got strong performances from several players. While much of the attention was on Bronny James, the player who truly stood out was two-way guard Quincy Olivari.
Olivari had already gained some fan support after his strong performances in the preseason, and he carried that momentum into the G League opener.
He finished the game with 28 points, hitting 7 of 15 three-pointers, along with 10 rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes. Olivari looked nearly unstoppable on the court, and Russell thinks he’s too good for the G League.
“I just told him to stay humble,” Russell said about talking to Olivari. “It honestly looked like he was too good for being out there, respectfully. But I know how that can get you high and then have a bad game and it gets you lower, that’s just what it is.”
Russell went on to mention that he advised Olivari to keep a balanced mindset: “So I just told him to stay even-keeled. All those guys dominated the game. Bronny was solid, Q obviously dominated, Max Lewis, [Armel Traore], all of those guys were effective. They look hungry. So just keeping that hunger.”
Olivari has shown that he has the potential to be an NBA player, but it’s still early in his career. Russell is right to remind him to stay humble, as the road to the NBA can be unpredictable. Russell himself has learned to handle the ups and downs of his career and is now focused on staying steady.
If Olivari continues to perform well in the G League, he could be called up to the Lakers soon, especially if injuries become a concern.
Coming off a career-best year in shooting, many were curious to see how D’Angelo Russell would perform under the leadership of new head coach JJ Redick, who is working to find ways to get the best from each player on the Lakers.
Russell and Redick have spoken about their strong relationship and communication, even when Redick made the decision to bring Russell off the bench in favor of the more defensively-focused Cam Reddish. A similar benching happened last season, and Russell was open about not liking the change.
However, he is now handling the adjustment much better and emphasized the importance of both himself and the entire Lakers team buying into what the coaching staff is teaching and following the systems they’ve put in place.
