Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell Shares Shooting Routine That Gives Him Most ‘Confidence I Could Have’

The Los Angeles Lakers had a few good reasons to get D’Angelo Russell and the front office hoped to see him relieve their shooting issues. He was brilliant in the regular season, but fans were worried about his struggles in the postseason. The Lakers offered him a deal in the offseason and Russell is definitely turning heads with his performance.

Russell is in his ninth season in the NBA. His 3-point shooting is great and he delivered his 183^rd shot in the big win over the Atlanta Hawks. The talented player tied the Lakers record for most triples in a season (Nick Van Exel). Van Exel set his record in the 1994-95 season and Russell is here to bring back all the good memories.

What keeps him going great in this aspect of the game? He likes getting off-target passes. This seems to do the trick for him.

D’Angelo Russell working on catch and shoot 3s off bad passes pic.twitter.com/IKuU8sUsHV

— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) March 1, 2024

“Once I realized I’m not gonna get any better as an individual basketball player,” said Russell. “Eight to 10 years in the league, I’ve learned where my shots are gonna come. When I watch countless amount of film, I see what shots I don’t get.

“I try to just harp on things that I can control and where I see my shots. And I see me getting tough passes, and there’s a sense of me, in that moment, saying that ‘you can still shoot it.’ Or, ‘Yeah, that pass wasn’t good,’ but that distraction forces you not to shoot it or decide to shoot a tough one.”

D’Angelo Russell was talking about his improvement as a catch-and-shooter so I asked him about his routine of practicing shooting off bad passes, which he was doing at Lakers practice.

Cool answer from DLo, who said he’s as confident as he’s ever been as a shooter: pic.twitter.com/H87V8BmtoU

— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) March 21, 2024

Russell trusts his shooting

The Lakers veteran converts 44.2% of his catch-and-shoot triples. He likes working on bad passes and this has become a staple in practice.

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One of the hardest shots in basketball 🤯😱 #lakers #nba #basketball #dangelorussell #lebron #bron #lebronjames

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“When I get it, if it’s a good pass or bad pass, I’m already — it feels comfortable, cause I practice on bad passes,” Russell added. “A lot of shooters would want the seams and all that lined up. But I know I can catch and shoot, and I know I can shoot off the dribble. When I’m shooting off the dribble, the seams are never really right. You kinda have to lean into it with your body and trust it. I’m trusting the most upright confidence that I could have right now. So it’s working for me.”

Russell shoots 42.3% from the three-point line and bringing him back in the starting lineup was a really good decision. He got his starting role back on January 13 and shoots 45.3% on 8.3 attempts per game. D-Lo averages 22.1 points since then and his numbers will only go higher.