Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham Makes Lineup Decision On D’Angelo Russell After Viral Video

The Los Angeles Lakers lost three games in the series against the Denver Nuggets and face playoff elimination. LeBron James and Anthony Davis played great basketball in Game 3 and so did Austin Reaves. The rest of the players on the Lakers roster struggled to shoot. Lakers fans weren’t too kind about the fact that D’Angelo Russell went scoreless in the game. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham made a decision on Russell and his role in the lineup. Fans won’t like any of it.

D’Lo refusing to take part in the huddle now. https://t.co/GjGz17ZNp0 pic.twitter.com/rRL39WSK5z

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 26, 2024

Russell didn’t score any points in Game 3, but he will definitely enter Game 4 as a starter. Ham won’t change the starting lineup despite suffering a 112-105 loss, per Dave McMenamin from ESPN.

Ham won’t remove Russell from the starting lineup despite facing harsh criticism

NBA analysts and fans saw Russell sitting on the bunch and avoiding the huddle. His behavior shocked pretty much everyone who watched the game, including ESPN’s Jay Williams.

“I don’t know if he’s on his cellphone, or if he’s eating snacks — I don’t know what the hell it is,” the former lottery pick said on “Get Up” on April 26. “As a former player, I always try to defend players and talk about things from their position. But while you’re in a playoff battle, even if there’s only 3.5 minutes left and your team is out of it, you still have one more game left.”

Williams is not the only analyst to condemn Russell’s behavior. Stephen A. Smith was equally shocked and even said Russell was a “disgrace.”

.@stephenasmith sounded off on D'Angelo Russell missing the Lakers' huddle.

"LeBron James doesn't deserve a teammate like that." pic.twitter.com/MP03gqBhXz

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 26, 2024

“D’Angelo Russell — what a disgrace and an embarrassment,” Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” on April 26. “It’s hard to look at this brother. … It’s disgraceful. LeBron James doesn’t deserve a teammate like that. Somebody like [Russell] that does not prioritize [his team], not focused, get rid of him.”

When it comes to LeBron, he couldn’t be less bothered about his teammates. He wouldn’t get into any details and say whether everyone is under pressure or overwhelmed.