NBA: Power ranking all 30 projected starting point guards for 2024-25

22. D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers

It was somewhat surprising that the Los Angeles Lakers didn't explore making a big trade this offseason more aggressively. Even though there are still a couple of weeks left before the official end of the summer, it would be surprising to see the Lakers make any trades at this point. The overwhelming belief is that this team is going to wait until the start of the NBA Trade Deadline season to even explore such a possibility. That means heading into the start of the year, D'Angelo Russell is going to be the starting point guard for the team.

Even though Russell is a productive offensive player, he does leave much to be desired in terms of an all-around playmaker and is generally a negative defensive player. To be quite frank, Russell is a solid point guard, but he is not the difference maker that the Lakers need at the position.

As LeBron James continues to age and the questions continue to surround Anthony Davis and his health, this is a team that needs a more natural playmaker at the lead guard position. Russell is going to bring some substance offensively in terms of scoring, but he does leave much should be desired as a primary playmaker.