On January 14, 2025, Beijing time, the Lakers hosted the Spurs at home. The Spurs were without Sohan, and this was the third meeting between the two teams this season. In the previous two meetings, the Lakers won both times when playing away, including a 18-point victory over the Spurs last time, so the industry believed that the Lakers would defeat the Spurs again. The Lakers led by 10 points at halftime, which looked promising. However, the Spurs completely defeated the Lakers in the second half, winning the third quarter by 11 points to level the score difference, and then beating the Lakers 37-13 in the fourth quarter to win by a 24-point advantage.
The Lakers won by 18 points in their last away game against the Spurs, but lost by 24 points at home this time. What caused this? There are multiple reasons, one of which is crucial, even fatal. This reason is the departure of a Lakers player. This player performed outstandingly in the last game against the Spurs, being the key contributor to the Lakers' big win, and that player is Russell.
In the last game against the Spurs, Russell came off the bench for nearly 26 minutes, shooting 7-for-11 (3-for-6 from three-point range) for 17 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, and 1 steal with no turnovers, and a plus-minus of +19, the highest in the game. Russell was recently traded by the Lakers to the Nets (in exchange for Finney-Smith and Milton). After Russell's trade, some people said the Lakers would regret it because although Russell's defense is not good, he has excellent independent scoring ability, impressive scoring explosiveness, and the ability to score continuously in a short period of time. Additionally, Russell's ability to set up his teammates is first-class; he can feed the ball to Davis and Hayes.
The Lakers' big loss to the Spurs today exposed the problem of insufficient scoring points for the Lakers. Only four Lakers players scored in double figures in this game: Davis scored 30 points with 13 out of 18 shots, James scored 18 points with 7 out of 11 shots, Reeves scored 12 points with 4 out of 13 shots, and Christie scored 10 points with 4 out of 11 shots. Imagine if the Lakers still had Russell in their lineup; he should have been able to provide a lot of scoring for the Lakers. The Spurs' perimeter defense is not particularly strong, and Russell has the ability to score well against them.
After trading Russell, the Lakers have played six games, against the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Hawks, Rockets, Mavericks, and Spurs, with a record of 2 wins and 4 losses. They have lost all three recent games, and the margin of defeat has been increasing, losing by 4 points to the depleted Rockets (without Smith and Ison), 21 points to the depleted Mavericks (without Doncic, Irving, and Gafford), and 24 points to the depleted Spurs (without Sohan). Judging by these results, it seems that the Lakers' decision to trade Russell was not cost-effective. The Lakers' defense did not significantly improve due to the loss of Russell, but their offensive capabilities clearly declined.
According to statistics from the NBA official website, Russell had the highest total plus-minus value on the Lakers this season, reaching +47, far ahead of his other teammates. His presence or absence on the court had the greatest impact on the Lakers' net efficiency. The Lakers' consecutive big defeats now also confirm Russell's value, perhaps the Lakers should not have traded Russell away.
