The WNBA regular season is almost over and the Indiana Fever are poised to take the next step and head to the playoffs. This will be their first trip to the playoffs since 2017, and they have been elevated by rookie Caitlin Clarkwhich transformed the league and women’s sport in general.
All-Star Co-Guard Kelsey Mitchell also played a big role in the Fever’s revival, averaging 19.6 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three-point range. The two helped give Indiana one of the league’s best offenses, and the team won’t be easy to eliminate in the playoffs.
Mitchell is about to make her first WNBA playoff appearance, and for advice on how to handle the new challenge, she reached out to a curious source of advice: Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell.
“I recently spoke to my close friend D’Angelo Russell. We’ve known each other for a long time. He and I worked out together at Ohio State. We know each other a little bit, so from that standpoint it was good to have a conversation about how the playoffs are shaping up. … I like to get as much information as I can, so it was exciting to hear about that.”
Fans will likely find Mitchell’s decision to seek advice from Russell hilarious. While Russell is always likely to go into volcano mode during the regular season, he’s usually lava-free once the playoffs are over.
Since joining the Lakers in February 2023, he’s shooting just 41.4 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three-point range in 21 playoff games. In fact, he bageled a shot in Game 3 of last season’s first round against the Denver Nuggets.
Compare that to his 45.6% overall and 41.5% from three-point range last regular season, as well as his 48.4% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range in 17 regular-season games with LA the year before.
If Mitchell wants to know how to be wildly inconsistent in her shooting come playoff time, she’s asked the right person for advice.
This article was originally published on LeBron Wire: Kelsey Mitchell Asked D’Angelo Russell for Advice Ahead of WNBA Playoffs
