"He has to match Murray point for point" - Gilbert Arenas picks the Lakers player capable of propelling them past the Nuggets
Heading into their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers face a team they seem the most vulnerable against.
Expectations are naturally high for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to lead the Purple and Gold to the second round and further. However, according to Gilbert Arenas, the pivotal piece could be D'Angelo Russell.
"If we get the DLo - I'm 'bout to cut your a** DLo, then good," Arenas chuckled. "If we get DLo how Dlo been playin', and not that DLo that we had last year in the playoffs, well in that round, we should be fine. He has to match Murray point for point. If Murray is averaging 20 and DLo is averaging 15, we winning that series."
Arenas' analysis is spot on
The former three-time All-Star made a wise observation. Fans may credit the Nuggets' knack for scoring crunch-time baskets and outscoring the LA squad by 15 points in 11 clutch minutes as the key factor in their dominance over the Lakers in the 2023 Finals. However, Russell's lack of offensive contribution was the Lakers' major deficiency.
To illustrate how significantly it hampered the Lakers, DLo's scoring output plummeted to a mere 6.4 points over the four games, a stark contrast to his average of 16.7 points against the Memphis Grizzlies and 14.7 points against the Golden State Warriors in two series prior.
This notable dip in production left James and Davis shouldering most of the scoring load. Furthermore, in contrast to the Lakers, who had limited contributors on the scoring end, the Nuggets showcased depth, with six of their seven players who appeared in all four games scoring in double digits.
Russell is coming in great form
The one-time All-Star has been showing great signs of improvement this year, averaging 18.0 points per game on a career-best 41.5 percent from the three-point line. Additionally, in the two games he has played against Michael Malone's team in the regular season, DLo showcased signs of improvement, averaging 14.0 points.
Having already shattered the record for the most threes in a single season for the Lakers franchise, it is time to prove why the Purple and Gold made the right choice by holding onto him at the trade deadline. Matching Murray's level of production in the series might be the way to do it.
