Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ debut in the NBA Emirates Cup, star big man Anthony Davis spoke candidly on the situation with his teammate, D’Angelo Russell. Russell was recently benched by coach JJ Redick but Davis says that sacrifice is a necessary step to achieving their goals.
“Everybody has to sacrifice to win the championship,” said Davis. “Some more than others, but that’s what it takes to win. That’s what the good teams do. Look at all the teams who won, they’ve always sacrificed. It’s just about if guy are willing to accept their role and understand that it takes sacrifices to win. And I think everyone on this team is willing to do whatever it takes.”
Basketball has always been a team sport that requires cooperation between teammates. As Davis explained, the most successful teams typically play for each other rather than themselves and it allows the team to play off everyone’s strengths. The Lakers believe they have the talent to win, and now they just need to put it together when it counts the most.
For Davis, his belief is that every player must sacrifice some of their own game in order to make the team stronger and increase the odds of a championship. Four years ago, when the Lakers won their last title, every player knew their role and accepted their place in the rotation. Everyone was bought in and willing to give up their own stats to ensure team success.
Lately, the Lakers have fallen on tough times and no situation reflects that more than the one with D’Angelo Russell. The Lakers acquired Russell back in 2023 as part of a three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Jazz. Russell had been with the Lakers before, for his first two seasons in the league, but nobody thought he’d return after his trade to the Nets in 2017.
Russell donned the Lakers jersey again in 2023 but he’s been the odd man out since his arrival. Under new head coach JJ Redick, Russell had goals to have a career year. Instead, Russell has been moved to the bench as his competitive spirit is called into question. This season, through the first 10 games, Russell is averaging 12.9 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game on 40.7% shooting.
Of course, Russell isn’t the only one who will have to sacrifice. Everyone on the team, including Anthony Davis, will have to adjust to some degree and others (like Bronny James and Max Christie) will have to be content with not playing at all for now.
This season, with so much at stake, the Lakers are completely focused on the title pursuit and they don’t want anything getting in the way. At 6-4 right now, the season is off to a promising start but there’s still a long way to go and Davis knows that the job is far from finished.
The next test for the Lakers begins on Wednesday for the NBA Emirates Cup. They play the Grizzlies at 10 PM EST in Crypto.com arena before hitting the road for a back-to-back against the Spurs and the Pelicans this weekend.