Russell enters his third season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers since rejoining the squad mid-way through the 2022-23 campaign. He is coming off a strong year in 2023-24, where he averaged at least 18.0 points per game for the fifth time in his nine-season career. He shot considerably well from long range, averaging at least 3.0 made three-pointers per game for just the second time in his career, and he shot a career-best 41.5 percent from deep. Regular season and playoffs combined, Russell hit the 20-point mark 32 times last season, including five games with at least 30 and a season-high 44 points. He did well in his primary role as a distributor, averaging 6.3 assists per game to tie the third-best rate of his career. He logged at least 10 assists on 11 occasions and averaged 17.4 points and just 2.0 turnovers in those outings. Finally, Russell did a good job taking care of the ball, averaging a career-low 2.1 turnovers per game in 2023-24, while also averaging a career-high of 32.7 minutes of playing time. Looking ahead, Russell will enter the season as the starting point guard for the Lakers and will continue to benefit from a great opportunity to thrive alongside the high-level talent of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
