Despite his poor performance at the end of last season, D’Angelo Russell is still the number 1 choice as a ball defender at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Poor performance in the Playoffs, along with the appearance of Gabe Vincent, seems to threaten D’Angelo Russell’s position in the starting lineup.

However, during a media meeting on Thursday, the team’s leaders dispelled all doubts and announced D’Lo as their top PG.

“He communicated very well throughout the summer,” coach Darvin Ham shared. “Especially when he came back to practice. D’lo encouraged the new guys and talked with Bron and AD… Of course, things weren’t great in Denver, but the team didn’t even make it That’s without D’Angelo Russell.

“D’lo will be our main point guard. He’s a smart and decisive player. We trust him. D’Angelo always supports his teammates and that’s what the Lakers need.”

But questions arose when D’Angelo Russell did not play well against the Denver Nuggets. He was even pushed to the bench when the series entered a period where the Lakers had no way back.

At the same time, however, Russell has been a difference-maker in several previous playoff games. Facing the Grizzlies and Warriors, Russell had great games, shots, and performances to help the Lakers win.

In 99 minutes this past regular season, D’Lo, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis had a plus/minus index of +25.6. In the playoffs, that quartet played 306 minutes and had a Plus/minus rating of +5.0.