Mavericks finally learning why Lakers felt fine letting D'Angelo Russell go

D’Angelo Russell has struggled with efficiency this season, and the Dallas Mavericks are slowly learning why the Los Angeles Lakers were okay with letting him go last season. Russell’s time with the Lakers was a series of twists and turns, and by the time his final season in LA came around, it was clear that the Lakers were simply using him as trade bait.

He never really fit in there, but the Mavs gave him a contract this summer to help hold the tide while Kyrie Irving is out. Unfortunately, many of the same problems that popped up for Russell in LA have begun to show their face during his time in Dallas.

And the Mavs are learning the same lesson the Lakers did: Russell is simply an inconsistent player.

D’Angelo Russell struggles with efficiency and consistency

Russell has been a constant face in the Mavericks’ rotation this season, but his minute totals have completely depended on what he is able to bring to the court in that given game.

That’s because the reality with Russell is that he has never really been a super consistent player, particularly on the offensive end, as his shooting is extremely streaky.

He’s had a few solid scoring games. Russell shot 11-of-24 from the field and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe in a double-overtime loss to the LA Clippers. But that same game, he turned the ball over seven times.

During a loss to the Detroit Pistons earlier this season, Russell shot an incredible 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, contributing to a 31-point performance. Unfortunately, that was the only truly impressive shooting game he’s had all year.

In fact, outside of that night against the Pistons, Russell has shot just 10-of-57 from beyond the arc this season, which comes out to just 17.5% on three-point attempts.

As a whole, Russell is playing 22.0 minutes per contest this year. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists (and 2.2 turnovers) while shooting 38.2% from the floor and 24.3% from deep on 5.0 three-point attempts per game.

The Mavs have struggled to win games this year for a plethora of reasons, but Russell’s inconsistent play certainly has not helped them amidst their quest to be a competitive team.

It’s a lesson the Lakers had to learn over the years, and it resulted in them trading him away for Dorian Finney-Smith. Now, it’s a Mavericks problem.