"This like asking Ben Simmons for shooting tips": Fans go wild as Fever star confirms seeking D'Angelo Russell's advice for playoffs

Basketball fans erupted with strong reactions after Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell publicly revealed that she reached out to the Lakers' D'Angelo Russell for playoff advice. Mitchell, who played a key role in securing Indiana's first playoff berth in eight years, sought advice from the veteran guard, who brings the experience of 32 NBA playoff games to the table.

"I recently talked to my close friend D'Angelo Russell," Mitchell told reporters after the Fever's practice on Wednesday, as quoted by Silver Screen and Roll.

"We go way back. Me and him go back to the point where we trained together at Ohio State. We kind of know each other so, from that perspective, it was good to get a conversation in regards to how (the playoffs) looked," she added.

Many fans were surprised by Mitchell's decision to reach out to Russell, especially given that the 28-year-old guard has faced his share of struggles in the playoffs.

One of the fans dropped a comedic reaction and brought up Ben Simmons, who is a career 13.9% 3-point shooter, into the conversation.

"This like asking Ben Simmons for shooting tips."

A couple of fans asserted that the Fever star reached out to a wrong person for advice on playoffs.

"She’s asking the wrong person about Playoffs bruh," a fan commented.

"She reached out to the worst playoff performer in the nba," wrote another X user.

One fan urged Mitchell to not take D'Angelo Russell's advice seriously.

"He went 0/9 in a playoff game, do not take anything he says seriously."

"Oh she is gonna be a bust in the playoffs that is for sure how can she reach a guy who didn’t even put 5 points in the last playoff and ask him for advice," said another X user.

"as much as I love dlo he is NOT the person you need to be contacting for playoff advice," a fan wrote.

Why are fans surprised at Kelsey Mitchell's decision to consult D'Angelo Russell?

The hoops fans erupted with wild reactions to Kelsey Mitchell's decision primarily because D'Angelo Russell has a history of struggling in the NBA playoffs. He averages 17.8 points on 43% shooting from the field, including 36.9% from 3-point range in the regular season.

In the playoffs, however, Russell's numbers drop considerably across the board. He averages 14.2 on 38.8% shooting from the floor, including 32.7% from beyond the arc in the playoffs.

Talking about Mitchell, the veteran guard is having an excellent season in the WNBA, averaging 19.6 points on 46.7% shooting from the field, including 40.2% from the 3-point range.