“Almost like I had to play when I was playing with Kobe Bryant” - Smush Parker reveals how D'Angelo Russell can succeed playing alongside LeBron

Even though D'Angelo Russell put in the work during the 2023-24 regular season, averaging 18 points on a career-best 41.5% shooting from the 3-point range, he still ended up being one of the reasons why the LA Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He did average 6.3 assists per game in the regular season, but his continued focus on increasing his playmaking efficiency in added minutes in the postseason was why he wasn't as lethal as many expected.

Reflecting on this, Smush Parker gave him a piece of heartfelt advice to opt into a new role if he wants to maximize his potential while playing alongside LeBron James .

Parker's advice to D'Angelo Russell

It is no secret that 39-year-old LeBron is still one of the best playmakers in the league. Even when he is having a rough scoring night, he can make a game-winning impact by creating plays for his teammates. In fact, considering that the four-time MVP has led the team in that category in the last two seasons, it only justifies his dominance as a playmaker.

For a ball-dominant player like DLo, he, too, needs the ball in his hands to make his presence felt by scoring 17 to 18 points per game. However, in his interview with Brandon' Scoop B' Robinson, Smush Parker advised Russell to lean into his scoring prowess and focus on contributing more to the scoring end rather than prioritizing making plays. Consequently, he wanted D'Angelo to operate as a spot-up shooter.

"D'Angelo is a playmaker that's used to having the ball in his hands, but you have to understand that's not your role anymore," Parker said. "You have to become a spot-up shooter when you're playing with a guy like LeBron James; almost like I had to play when I was playing with Kobe Bryant."

The thing with ball-dominant superstars like Bryant and James is that they can make game-winning plays in more ways than one. In the two seasons he played as the Lakers point guard alongside KB24, Parker prioritized making his presence felt by scoring in double digits (averaged 11.3 points per game) while logging the most minimal assists.

DLo can excel in a spot-up shooter role

Russell and Austin Reaves will handle most of the playmaking with LeBron off the floor. But considering DLo's 41.4% 3-point shooting and 47% from the field over 93 games in the last two seasons, it's clear that he thrives in a spot-up role with the Lakers' natural playing style.

Safe to say, if the Purple and Gold are to make strides and make their presence felt in the stacked Western Conference, they need to make certain adjustments, and using Russell in a different role could be one of them.

Related: D-Lo says he feels bad for his actions during the last year's playoffs: "If I had become a distraction in any way, I want to apologize for that"