Lakers say Russell will be their starting point guard
EL SEGUNDO ❯❯ If there were any questions about who the Lakers' starting point guard would be entering the 202324 season, Coach Darvin Ham swiftly made it clear that it will be D'Angelo Russell.
It was a strong affirmation of confidence in Russell after the way last season ended, and the Lakers signing Gabe Vincent — the Miami Heat's starting point guard during their run to the NBA Finals — as a free agent during the offseason.
“A lot was made about the way things finished against Denver and whatnot. At the end of the day, we don't get to where we got to without D'Angelo Russell,” Ham said Thursday. “He's our starting point guard. I'm going to encourage him to be assertive – he's a highly intelligent basketball player who's coming back with a chip on his shoulder.”
“He chose us, we believe in him and he's one of those guys who has a ton of pride and passion about not only his individual performance but those of his teammates as well. He's another one who's going to have an outstanding season.”
Russell, who is returning to the Lakers on a two-year, $36 million contract (team option on the second season) he signed as a free agent over the summer, was the team's starting point guard for the 17 regular-season games he was available after the Lakers acquired him ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
He remained the team's lead guard in the playoffs, but his playing time and production dipped significantly during the Western Conference finals, when the Lakers were swept 4-0 by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
Russell came off the bench for the first time and played a postseason-low 15 minutes in the series-deciding Game 4 loss to Denver.
“I remember Darvin and I sitting in our exit meeting with D'Angelo and it was coming off the emotional Western Conference finals, you lose to the champions and he didn't get a chance to play as much in that series,” General Manager Rob Pelinka said. “We said listen `from the time the trade happened until the end of the Denver series, let's look at it as a great honeymoon.' You can go on a honeymoon with your significant other and you can have 13 incredible days, perfect days. And then lunch on the 14th day isn't as good as you want it to be, it doesn't mean it wasn't an incredible trip.
“We want to keep the bigger picture with him of ... he impacted our season in a huge way. He's been a vocal leader on the court and kind of the workouts are going on with his teammates. It looks like he was very intentional too with taking care of his body and adding a little bit of shoulder strength. D'Angelo's in a really good headspace.”
Russell being solidified as the team's starting point guard cemented the Lakers' starting backcourt, with Ham also saying third-year guard Austin Reaves will be the starting shooting guard.
Reaves, who is returning to the Lakers on a four-year, $53.8 million deal, is coming off a breakout season in which he was the team's starting shooting guard to close out the regular season and in the playoffs.
“Oh man, I could not be more proud of that kid, man,” added Ham, who said earlier in the offseason that he believes Reaves will be an All-Star at some point in his career. “He's fearless. I believe every word that I've mentioned and said about him. Just his humbleness, and a low-key guy, fun to be around, a worker who absolutely loves to hoop.”
Clippers sign Primo, suspended for 4 games
The Clippers have signed former Spurs guard Josh Primo, whom the NBA suspended for four games on Friday following a league investigation into “inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.”
The 6-foot-6 Primo was signed to a two-way contract for one year, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Primo, a 20-year-old Canadian, played in 50 games during his rookie season in 2021-22 but only four games last season before being waived by the Spurs in late October after a team psychologist said Primo allegedly exposed himself to her during sessions. The former team psychologist sued Primo and the Spurs, and the case was settled out of court.
Today, 9 a.m.
Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
Ch. 11 /790 AM
USC by 21 1/2
USC: OUT: DL Solomon Tuliaupupu (lower leg, season-ending surgery); OL Gino Quinones (lower leg, out for season); COLORADO: OUT: CB/WR Travis Hunter (lacerated liver); QUESTIONABLE: Shilo Sanders (kidney issue), WR Xavier Weaver (undisclosed), S Myles Slusher (undisclosed)
The heat for Colorado-USC has cooled ever-so-slightly in the Rocky Mountain air. Resale ticket prices on SeatGeek have careened by more than $100 since last weekend, when Oregon took baseball bats to the Coach-Prime-fueled Colorado hype machine like the printer scene in “Office Space.” The Trojans chose their words carefully when discussing the matchup with the Buffs in weekly media availability, center Justin Dedich giving the classic not-focusing-on-theopponent-just-ourselves line. But today still brings two of the most viral teams in the nation to Folsom Field, Caleb Williams vs. Shedeur Sanders and Lincoln Riley vs. Deion Sanders, a game that sold out so fast that the mayor of Boulder couldn't even get a ticket. The guest list is rumored to be a who's-who of Hollywood; Colorado athletic director Rick George sent an email to the student body urging them to not rush the field postgame, according to the CU Independent's Malaina Humphreys. If its first road game of the year against Arizona State was a heavy rain, USC is walking into a maelstrom in Colorado. The Trojans struggled, noticeably, to adapt to an away-game atmosphere against the Sun Devils, and now face tenfold more pressure against a talented Buffs team that'll no doubt have a Sanderslit fire under them after the 42-6 loss to Oregon. Simply put, today's a chance for USC to walk into Folsom, blow out Colorado, and show it's at the head of the pack in the Pac-12.
Who's better: This would be a much closer question if not for a major injury on the Buffs' side. Hunter was establishing himself as one of the most exciting players in college football, a two-way unicorn, before a hit from Colorado State's Henry Blackburn; Shilo Sanders, meanwhile, is one of Colorado's best DBs and Weaver their leading receiver. If all are out today, USC has a drastic edge in on-field talent.
Matchup to watch: Caleb Williams and Brenden Rice vs. Colorado's secondary. To repeat: two of Colorado's best defensive backs are out. Its defense has been one of the worst in the FBS thus far despite a 3-1start, and former Colorado transfer Rice has emerged as Williams' go-to scramble target; not hard to imagine the connection lighting up again today.
USC wins if: The linebacker group takes a step forward after an inconsistent-to-rough game against Arizona State, and cornerbacks Domani Jackson, Christian Roland-Wallace and Ceyair Wright hold their own in one-on-one pass coverage against the talented Shedeur Sanders.
Prediction: USC 45, Colorado 31. Colorado will be motivated, and USC's defense buckled plenty against the Sun Devils, but there should be no stopping Williams against the Buffs secondary.
— Luca Evans