D'Angelo Russell could find his spot in the Los Angeles Lakers' backcourt changing drastically next season now that they have the No. 2 pick.Russell, believed to be the Lakers' point guard of the future, could be splitting his time in the lead guard role with Lonzo Ball if LA drafts the dynamic UCLA star. Suddenly, Magic Johnson could groom his franchise guard from Day 1. Russell and Ball can definitely co-exist in the modern NBA, with the Lakers running a backcourt featuring two versatile guards who can space the floor, handle the ball and create for others. D'Angelo may not be all that interested in having to watch for Lonzo over his shoulder, though. Russell, who's had some issues with social media in the past, deleted a very controversial post he liked on Twitter. Unfortunately for him, the Internet jumped all over it once someone noticed, and now this Tweet that he may have simply accidentally liked has become a topic of conversation."Watching D'Angelo Russell highlights from this year makes me think there is no way in hell they should draft Lonzo," the tweet read. "They stupid if they do."Once Twitter users started circulating the like from D'Angelo it seems the Lakers' guard unliked the post before it garnered any further attention. Russell deleted a Lonzo-related tweet he sent out a week ago that was praising a rap verse Ball dropped that made rounds across the Internet.
Social media is a strange thing, and Russell once again finds himself backtracking an awkward situation. There's also the chance there's nothing to this at all and D'Angelo's thumb slipped and hit the heart button on his Twitter app.
The fact of the matter, though, is there's no reason to think both guards can't play together on the Lakers. LA tried a duo featuring Jordan Clarkson and Russell, and Ball is a far better fit offensively next to D'Angelo. There's a chance they could become a fascinating pairing.
Los Angeles has plenty of options on how they proceed, and it's not even a foregone conclusion they draft Ball. De'Aaron Fox and Josh Jackson are also players they're going to take a very close look at before draft day comes on June 22.
Russell could feel some pressure to elevate his game if the Lakers do bring in another potential star guard that checks out many of the boxes he does, but it could actually lead to some exciting results if it works out and everyone keeps an open mind.