Suddenly, the normally verbose playmaker didn't feel like he had much of a say. Lakers coach Darvin Ham limited Russell's role while leaning more heavily on veteran guard Dennis Schroder for the series.
Russell knew Ham and Schroder's history went back nearly a decade to their time together with the Atlanta Hawks, where Ham was an assistant coach. Russell, meanwhile, had been around Ham for two months. (Schroder signed a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors in the offseason and was traded to the Brooklyn Nets last month.)
"His relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn't have a relationship with Darvin," Russell said.
"When I was struggling, I would've been able to come to the coach and say, 'Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.' Instead, there was no dialogue. ... I just accepted it.
"And we got swept and I'm here and he's not. And I like our chances."
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39703917/dangelo-russell-journey-lakers-trade-chip-clutch-hero-ready-studied-test