There’s not a single player on the Lakers’ roster who receives as much backlash from fans as D’Angelo Russell. Often viewed through a deficit model, there is a vocal group of detractors who like to point out all he does not do and/or all he does do, but not well enough. It’s a fascinating (and often frustrating) thing to observe, especially when most metrics (as well as my eye test) point out that Russell is one of the team’s best players and top contributors.
Thinking what I think and knowing what I know, I have taken to the internet (my site, twitter, etc) to defend Russell’s play; to highlight the things I think he’s doing well and the ways in which he’s helping the team. This is often met with some combination of thank you’s, he’s still a bust tho’s, and a few flat out I don’t care’s. I say all this just so that you know that I know what’s going to happen next. So take this with this preface: I don’t care.
D’Angelo Russell is trending up even if you don’t see it.
First, a few stats to compare this season’s version of Russell to the rookie season version:
- Rookie: 28.2 minutes a game, 13.2 points, 3.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds. 41% shooting overall, 35.1% from deep. 13.2 PER
- 2nd Year: 27.1 minutes a game, 14.9 points, 4.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds. 40.2% shooting overall, 34.8% from deep. 15.7 PER
So, to briefly summarize, in fewer minutes per game this season than last, Russell is shooting a hair worse overall and from deep, but still scoring more, assisting more, and rebounding more. His PER is up. As are his TS%, eFG%, and his usage rate (which are not in the bullets above). Just looking at these numbers, there’s no argument to be made he’s not improved from last year. This, though, should be expected. He was the #2 overall pick in his draft. This fact is not lost on me.
Of course, all situations require context, including Russell’s past two season. This is from a piece I recently wrote about the team’s young players finally becoming the focal point of the team:
The following season (last year), both Julius Randle and (then rookie) D’Angelo Russell played key roles, but also had their minutes and rotation spots jerked around by Byron Scott who also catered to Kobe Bryant who was in his farewell season. Kobe led the team in usage rate and, during the 2nd half of the season, it was no secret that the focus of the team was to get Kobe the ball to let him go to work. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this approach was in direct competition to developing the young players.
Fast forward to this year and while there have been huge strides forward in prioritizing the development of Russell, Randle, and rookie Brandon Ingram, it’s also not a stretch to say Lou Williams and the career year he’s been having became another variable in how the young players were used, deployed, and the context of the roles. Lou wasn’t exactly Kobe from a “name” perspective, but his play and production was such that he took on a very similar role as offensive hub and key closer.
Now that Williams has been traded, though, all that is left are the young players (and Nick Young). It’s the young guys who now have the reins and they will succeed or fail in roles which mirror where they were selected in the draft…
I did not write the above to offer excuses for how the young guys have played this year. Overall, I think they’ve done well (though have been inconsistent), so I don’t feel the need to make excuses for them. That said, I think the above offers the subtext of their experiences as players up until 5 games ago when Lou Williams was traded at the deadline — especially Russell (who was in direct competition with Williams for minutes, role played, and de facto lead guard on the team).
Which brings us to what Russell has done over those past 5 games since Lou was sent to Houston:
- Since Trade Deadline: 32.8 minutes a game, 20.6 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds. 46.8% shooting overall, 34.1% from deep. 17.9 PER.
It should be noted, those FG% and 3 point FG% include his 7-20 shooting (2-11 from deep) against the Pelicans on Sunday. I don’t add that caveat for any reason than to explain that he just had a really bad shooting night and these numbers are still good.
These aren’t the only numbers, of course. From his rookie season to this one his assist percentage (the % of teammates baskets Russell assists on while he’s on the floor) has risen 8.1 points to 29.3 overall — and in the last 5 games that number is up even higher to 31.9. Other metrics which have improved from last year to this one include his FT rate (though not by as much as I would want) and his win-shares/48 minutes.
I understand there’s much growth that is still needed. I’d like his turnover rate to improve. I’d like him to continue to improve defensively (though, I should point out, I see improvement in this area from last year too — especially related to how he’s navigating screens, the angles he’s taking defending in isolation, and his hand activity/placement on and off the ball). Him figuring out how to better use change of pace, finding the right shot/pass balance, and playing harder for longer are all things which can improve. These things aren’t givens, either. He needs to actively work at them.
He’s improved and continues to do so, though. It’s evident in his stats and, from my vantage point, in how he’s playing from night to night. This does not mean there aren’t ups and downs. Every player has those. And it doesn’t mean he’s anywhere close to where he’ll need to be if he’s going to fulfill his massive potential. But that’s the point, isn’t it? He’s just turned 21 years old and he shouldn’t be close to a finished product. The parts of his game which require reps and experience shouldn’t be refined at this stage of his career.
The players who show those things early are the exceptions not the rule. Which is to say, maybe Russell won’t be an exception, but that doesn’t eliminate him from being a fantastic player. I don’t know if he’s going to get there for sure, but the trends tell me to give him some time because we’re already seeing improvement.
RR1 says
My comment about Russell from the other thread:
One problem that I think people are having with Russell is that he, more than than any of the other young guys, carries the burden of the team’s history. From 1960-2013, the Lakers have almost always had a HOF-level outside/inside combo:
West/Baylor
West/Chamberlain
Magic/Kareem
Shaq/Kobe
Kobe/Pau
Paul/Howard was supposed to continue that lineage. So, Russell as a flashy guard picked 2nd in the draft, is the guy people hoped was the next name on that list, but at the moment, he looks more like a pretty good player with a somewhat casual style of play.
Vasheed says
A testament to DLO’s play was just how much worse the starting unit looked while he was injured. The memory of it might be more distinct, had it been a change from winning to losing rather from losing to losing by a worse margin.
FredP says
Last season, Russell was easy to trap with a double team resulting in a Lakers turnover. This season he is doing a much better job of anticipating where the help is coming from and staying out of trouble. Also, he does not hang his head when things are not going well and keeps trying to make the right play. My bottom line is that the Lakers taking Russell cost Hinkie his job. He was Philadelphia’s plan A and they did not have a well thought out plan B. Russell’s play has suggested that he would have fit in very well with both Embiid and Noel.
Anonymous says
Wow that’s actually true I slick forgot hinkie wanted him the whole time and everyone thought we were getting okafor. And they picked behind us. Damn we messed up the sixers lowkey ???
Craig W. says
Darius, I am most frustrated in DLO’s turnovers. He seems to think it is better to pass into a small space than to make the simple pass. This has not changed over the last two years. He has real skill passing and is successful much of the time. The problem comes when the game gets tight/at the end of games when the defense really digs in and players have seen his passing several times and are more ready for it. Like shortening your dribble when you go by someone, he has to simplify his passes – at least late in games.
dxmanners says
Right on brother. His casual style of play drives me crazy. Passes to no one, bounce passes from two feet away, and an inability to finish at the rim. Unreliable. That said, I hope to be wrong and watch him develop into a solid NBA point. I’m not holding my breath. And I would still trade him this off season while somebody will still take him.
Anonymous says
D’Angelo is the most underated player in his draft class.
His issue is that even though he is productive, he was not the second best player in the draft. Fans need to understand that we missed on better players but that does not make D’Angelo worse
KevTheBold says
Being in support of Russell is a frustrating job, Darius is right on the money.
From the very beginning, it was who he wasn’t, Okafor, Mudiay, but after they fell or faded, it shifted to his lack of athleticism or his defense, and when he proves that he can still navigate through top nba defenses to score, and that though he may never be defensive power, he can still be adequate enough for his position, they still ignore his considerable contributions of being able to run an effective offense, score 20+ average with 6 assists on a poor shooting team, plus can rebound and block shots,.. So what?
They turn instead to his lack of free throws. { For those who hold his inability to drive through the lane, which by the way, is a lane during 405 rush hour, should take a listen to Darius and Reed’s last podcast.} It clears up that issue like a brand new windshield wiper.
It’s like the kid needs to be perfect or he deserves nothing, not a drop of water, nor crust of bread.
I can understand a frustration with his inconsistency, but without perspective, not excuses, but perspective, that frustration is more a self imposed prison, than a valid opinion.
Look, at age 21 he’s already showing what he can average, which is what most nba point guards have never, and will never;..which means that we have a good chance of having landed a 25 point 10 assist all star, so why not use that fact as one positive we have going for us going forward?
It sure beats the hell out of jumping off that Laker cliff without a parachute, as I for one, find hope helpful in my attitude, and my attitude has a positive or negative effect on my day.
I realize that this is my own perspective, however, crazy as it sounds,.. loving my team the way I do, I admit that their success or failure adds to or subtracts from my overall feeling of well being, thus I choose to recognize, and take comfort in the good, that the basketball gods have given us.
RR1 says
I think Russell is going to be good, maybe very good, not great. Nothing wrong with him or with that. I do think, as I said above, that some of the shade he gets is because the team desperately needs a great player, and he was the Lakers’ highest draft pick since James Worthy, so people want him to be That Guy.
And, again: Chris Paul hasn’t averaged 25/10, and Magic Johnson didn’t, either. Tiny Archibald did it a couple of times, and Harden and Westbrook are both doing it right now, but it is an historical rarity. Given how PGs are used now, Russell may do it some day, but it is not likely.
As to the FTA issue, I covered that in detail last time, and I have not seen any reason to move off of my position on it. If he can get his 3p% up closer to 40, that will obviously help him a lot. If he can do that, improve his AST%/TOV% ratio, and get his D up to average, he can be a very good player.
KevTheBold says
Fair enough, yet if he keeps his averages up til the end of the season at age 21, and like a said, on a team, which is sadly lacking in shooters {besides Nick}, I don’t see why by the time he reaches his prime, and is on a more offensively competent team, how an additional 5pts and 4 assists is an unreasonable projection.
RR1 says
Harden’s USG is 34, and Westbrook’s is 42 (Kobe’s career high is 38.7). Russell is a high-USG guy–27 right now. But not that many guys get to a point in their careers where their teams/coaches want them with 35-40 USGs, and guys who do generally get to the stripe a lot more than Russell does. And, Russell would need to have a very high USG to average 25/10.
KevTheBold says
Your stats are impressive, so bravo.
Yet they also underline the vast potential that Russell is showing us imo.
Anonymous says
Well said.
Question: Are you, RR1, the artist formerly known as “rr”, “new rr”, and then back to “rr”??? I would hate to be dealing with an imposter, or fugazi RR here………..
George Best says
Nice try though
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I repeat once again: the 2008-2009 OKC Thunder with future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went 23-59.
RW put up 15 PTs, 5 Rebs, and 5 ASTs in about 32 minutes per game, while shooting .398 overall and .271 from 3-point range. DAR’s stats are not vastly different.
It takes TIME for young players to develop into NBA players. Yes, sometimes a LeBron James, Chris Paul or Derrick Rose comes along who is immediately ready to dominate. Other times the #! overall pick turns out to be Anthony Bennett.
I don’t think DAR will pan out as a Westbrookian MVP candidate, but he’s not a bust (yet). He only legally bought his first beer a few weeks ago. Let’s give him a chance to mature before we toss him in the scrap heap
RR1 says
What TOJW leaves out here is what happened next: after the 23-59 season, OKC went 50-32, 55-27, 47-19, 60-22 and 59-23. The Lakers OTOH are 36-109 during the DAR/Randle Lift-Off. That said, yes: Russell is not a bust. I would rather have him than Okafor.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
Yes, after the Thunder added (future HOF-er) James Harden and (3-time All-Defense First Team) Serge Ibaka to their core of (future HOF-ers) Westbrook and Durant, they went 50-32 (and gave the Lakers a fair challenge in the playoffs). Further success ensued and Westbrook’s stats got better accordingly.
I suspect if DAR was playing alongside Joel Embiid and Greek Freak (instead of Randle and Deng), he’d have better stats then he currently does….;-D…
I do think DAR’s future is probably NOT at PG, at least defensively. The Lakers hid Magic Johnson from quick athletic PGs by having Norm Nixon or Byron Scott guard them. The current Lakers may have to do the same with DAR. A Lonzo Ball/DAR backcourt (with Clarkson being the natural 3rd guard) would seem to have great potential. Then we just need some wings who can shoot, some bigs who can protect the rim and disrupt pick-and-roll action, an athletic 3-and-D guy to guard LeBron, Durant, Leonard, etc. and….;-D…
drrayeye says
The Lakers have finally clearly made a commitment to developing a young team around recent mostly very high draft picks, and Russell is certainly a core part of that commitment. But I think it is still too soon to do any serious player by player evaluations beyond saying that none of them are either clearly busts or obvious superstars.
DAR seems to be a hybrid between point and shooting guard who’s not quite either. He’s not a lock down defender, but he’s not a total disaster either. He seems to have a more and better future posting up than attacking the rim, and needs to develop a better sense of timeliness
for his 3 point attempts.
I think that he’d both complement and improve with an established star front court player as a teammate. As things stand, he doesn’t seem to have enough structure around him to allow his best qualities to come together, but I’m not about to give up on him–and I’d be reluctant to trade him.
pbz06 says
Thank you Darius. I’ve been beating the DAR drum for a while. He is putting up very promising numbers for his age and position, and has shown flashes of brilliance. His numbers on a 36 minute basis are better than Wiggins’, Levine, Booker, Brogdan, Saric and some other highly touted prospects. His PER compares favorably against all of them except for Porzingis being slightly higher mostly due to rebounding and blocking ability. He’s younger than all those guys except for Booker who is same age. DAR’s perception has been low due to the Nick Young incident last year, the Kobe tour, and the sporadic minutes while trying to navigate an offense with chuckers like Young, Lou, Kobe last year, and ineffective linemates such as Deng and Mozgov.
It’s predictable (to guys that watch with logic), that his numbers look good now that Lou is gone and Dengov are on the bench. With his minutes up, his slashline looks stud caliber. He still needs to learn shot selection, but he does have a sweet shot. When he’s in rhythm and dictating pace, his percentages are steady and good. He’s had a habit of chucking some bad shots and still learning to finish in traffic, but he’s going to be a really good player.
Anonymous says
Russel is not a point guard he more of a shooting guard with some passing skills ,but he like many of today players who play hero ball and not team ball.
Pbz06 says
I hear people say that, but it’s simply not true. The guy is averaging 6apg when playing 30 minutes. He just turned 21 last week. Have you seen the Lakers offense with him running the point vs when he sits? Enough said.
Moto says
Will be similar to Ted Ginn Jr. in Miami. Draft position. Ginn never lived up to the fans expectations since he was drafted #9 overall in 2007. A nice player but as a long time fish fan at #9 we just missed on the pick
Mid-Wilshire says
My biggest issue with DAR — and this may be largely a function of his age — is that he doesn’t yet seem to know how to make those around him better. He hasn’t yet figured out how to consistently get the others on his team easy looks. In other words, he doesn’t always make the smart play. The flashy play? Yes. The smart play? No.
Of course, he’s only 21 years old. That is not irrelevant. Some day he may very well learn how to make others better. But his focus right now seems to be to make him self the best player that he can be (which is also important). However, making others better is a task that apparently hasn’t even occurred to him. And this is something that can not be reflected in individual statistics.
Now, one advantage that D’Angelo does have is that Magic Johnson, of all people, is now available as a sounding board. No other starting Point Guard in the league can make that claim. If he’s smart, he’ll take a Master Class in the art of being a PG from Mr. Johnson. And if anyone ever made those around him better, it was the Magic Man.
If I were D’Angelo Russell, I’d be taking notes like crazy.
Now that is an advantage.
LT Mitchell says
DAR has stepped up his game since the all star break, and I hope it continues……but when comparing his stats from last season with some context, his improvement has been minimal at best.
This season, he’s a year older, playing in a faster paced offense that fits his style of play, with no Byron to kill his confidence and no Kobe with his historically high usage rate…..yet he is shooting even worse than last year. His biggest improvement has been his assist to turnover ratio, which went from 1.3 to 1.7, which is still awful. For context, 1.7 ranks 42nd amongst all PGs, including bench players.
As far as his defense is concerned, can anybody name one starting PG that is worse? ….crickets.
I think both his critics and fans expected more improvement coming into this season. He has clearly been trending up since the all star break, but when looking at the entire season, he has not come close to meeting expectations.
My hope is that DAR continues his recent elevated play. The Lakets draft Lonzo Ball, a real PG who makes his teammates better….and DAR is traded in a package for Paul George this summer.
KevTheBold says
True, if you look at the entire season and ignore the facts relating to why, then his stats are not up to par as to what we expected.
I too was falling under that cloud, however, since the team has changed their priorities, we can now see who he is, versus what we assumed.
As for Ball, I would love to land him,..he’s a two way juggernaut and I could care less about his father’s potential distractions; but pairing Ball with D’Angelo would be even better; and from what I hear through the rumor mill, Paul George want’s to play with Russell, and does not want the team gutted as it would place a pressure on him, which some believe he’s incapable of overcoming. As even though coming home is great,.. no one likes to lose.
matt24 says
I think dlo has come into the league at a very difficult time for point guards, he is up against a veteran almost every game, if hishealth holds, he will be a top level player in the future, when he catches up to his opponents.
We will see how this next point guard heavy draft prospects do in their first year.
Anonymous says
Mark Jackson with a jump shot. His herky-jerky moves drive me crazy. His passes are goofy and often ill-timed. I’m sure if the Lakers keep the lottery pick a real PG is on the way!
Alex says
A Mark Jackson with a shot ends up in the HoF! And I still think that’s a perfectly possible option for DAR. He’s still a kid, you can see the baby fat on him, yet he’s skilled and crafty in so many ways. We need more patience. In two years, still only 23, with a leaner stronger body, his skills/experience further developed, and better players around him (through trade or develpment), he’ll be a 20 and 8. He could do better and probably not much worse. Once he improves his offence, he’ll work on defence, too. He wants to be good, not another Nick Young. I think he’s going to be a Conley-type producer, borderline or sporadic all star. It will also help when they’ve played in the same system with the same teammates for a couple of years.
matt24 says
I’m trying to imagine what dlo would be like if he came into a team with shaq on the roster
Lakers Future says
Russell must be doing something right. Because people are resurrecting the old “he doesn’t make his teammates better” line. Kobe would be proud. I’m not sure what games people are watching. When Russell sits the ball movement falls apart. The Lakers offense really stalls when he’s not out there.
Plus, making teammates better is way thinking that can lead down a rabbit hole. Look at the players on the roster. Ingram looks like he should have stayed in college another year. Randle lacks length, post moves, and a consistent outside shot. Clarkson is also streaky, on today and totally off tomorrow. Deng is often invisible offensively. Black is undersized and lacking post moves on the block. Plus he doesn’t have a midrange shot in his arsenal. And Nance will pass up open shot after open shot.
Exactly how is much better can one player make this group?
KevTheBold says
This write up from Zack Buckley is right on point!
“D’Angelo Russell doesn’t have the superhuman burst or mind-boggling hops of the typical one-and-done lottery pick. But he sees the floor like a seasoned vet, handles like a street baller and has the smooth shooting stroke of a professional sniper.
“Russell operates like a Tesla,” the Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor wrote. “His top speed is limited, but he accelerates smoothly, changes directions quickly, and no matter his pace, he has a sense of space and precision.”
Russell isn’t shooting as well as he eventually will, and he’s still one of only 11 players averaging at least 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and two triples. He’s also the only one to do it in fewer than 31 minutes a night (he gets 27.1). His per-36-minute production of 19.7 points, 6.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 threes yields a line only MVP candidate James Harden is posting.
Under two weeks removed from his 21st birthday, Russell already looks comfortable in the spotlight. Since the Los Angeles Lakers moved leading scorer Lou Williams at the deadline, Russell has averaged 20.6 points on 46.2 percent shooting and 5.8 assists in 32.7 minutes per game.”
Anonymous says
Thank you
FK says
the thing that bothers me most is his lack of speed and athleticism, not his fault. However, even if he’s slow for a modern day PG, I would like him to see when he has a big switched onto him and attack the paint when a slower center/power forward is on him. go all the way to the rim and draw a foul or find shooters. don’t settle for a long 3 or pass it to the weak side when a big is on you
Chris J says
We should also be wise to remember that point guard is a challenging position that often takes time to master. Steve Nash played 113 NCAA games but didn’t average more than 10 points per game until his fifth season in the NBA, and in his first four seasons as a pro his best number for assists per game was only 5.5. On a per 36 minutes basis, Nash averaged 11.2 and 14.9 ppg in seasons one and two.
Chauncey Billups had two seasons of college ball yet his best NBA scoring average per game over his first few seasons was in year two, when he averaged just 13.9 ppg. On a per 36 minutes basis, he recorded 14.5 and 15.1 ppg as a rookie and second-year player, and maxed out around 5 assists per game.
Russell only played 35 games at Ohio State and he’s stepped into a bad team, coupled with a historically bad/unusual situation as a rookie thanks to Byron and Kobepalooza. Still, Russell has averaged 13.2 and 14.9 ppg so far, and is recording almost 5 assists per game this season. On a per 36, he’s averaged 16.8 and 19.7 ppg along with 6.4 assists this season so far.
I’m not saying Russell will wind up with a better career than either of those guys, but for comparison’s sake, let’s have some perspective. Yes, he has room to grow and improve. But he’s far from a bust and should only get better with more NBA experience, coaching and physical and mental growth that comes from moving beyond being a teenager.
Robert says
Expectations for 1st-2nd year players are relative to where you were drafted. DAR was drafted second so expectations are high as they should be. Many on this board are now acknowledging that he is probably not going to be a superstar and the Lakers could have done better with the pick (they also could have done worse in fairness). So at least the conversation has progressed from DAR being a new SuperStar and the Lakers having “nailed” the pick.
Chris J says
” The Lakers could have done better with the pick” is an irksome thought to me, simply because there’s too often a game of revisionist history at play. Towns was a clear No. 1; he’s lived up to that draft slot, and regardless, the Lakers never had a chance to get him picking behind Minnesota. But beyond him, who else from that first round stands out?
Porzi??is is now everyone’s “I saw it coming” name, but I call bullsh-t on most who make that claim today. There was little to suggest whether he’d become an NBA star, or just another guy who looked great in a workout video. With a No. 2 pick, I won’t criticize Kupchak and company for making the “safe” play with Russell. The Knicks still took a gamble taking him at No. 4, but the risks you take at No. 4 are not nearly as severe as those with No. 2, especially not in that draft and especially if you’re the Lakers in 2015. They couldn’t take a flyer on a risky pick, no matter what the upside.
Beyond those three names, who else stands out? Okafor’s been a disappointment and was/is trade bait. Hezonja averaged 6 ppg as a rookie and has dipped to 4.4 this season. Cauley-Stein isn’t a game changer, and Mudiay’s averaging a dozen ppg while shooting 36 percent from the floor in Denver. (Russell is above 40 percent.)
Stanley Johnson’s NBA career equates to 6 ppg with under two assists; Kaminsky is an undersized center whose numbers are worse than Russell’s; and Justice Winslow has hardly set the world on fire in Miami before he was hurt. There’s your Top 10 picks that June.
You have to go down to the eleventh pick, Myles Turner, to find someone with stats anywhere close to Russell’s. Booker is arguably the second-best player in that draft behind Towns, but 10 teams after the Lakers also passed on him, so again, I won’t rip Kupchak on that one, either.
Anonymous says
THIS. i have been saying this the whole time, the only choice the lakers really had at that draft that made sense was to pick either russel and okafor. and damn did they pick right. knicks fans booed and cried when they got porzingis. nobody, even the knicks thought that KP would be as good as he is right now, they thought he was a project 4-5 years away.
RR1 says
Yes and no. You are correct that very few people were calling for Porzingis at the time, and certainly that suggests that any criticism for picking Russell should be very temperate. OTOH, one of the recurring themes of pro-FO fan-scolds (and you are not one of those generally) is that fans are impatient, ignorant, etc. and that we should all cut the FO–whoever is in it–more slack.
That may be true, but to put it in simple terms, even if the denizens of FBG didn’t see Porzingis coming, maybe Jim and Mitch should have. One of the arguments always used to defend Jim was his Big Man Whisperer connection to Andrew Bynum. Taking Porzingis at 2 would have been bold and gutsy and would have been pretty high-impact. Taking Russell over Okafor at 2 was something I supported at the time and still do, but I do not see it as something the FO deserves huge props for. Doubts existed about Okafor before draft day, and it is well-established that the 76ers would have taken Russell at 2 had they been able to.
Chris J says
Major props for taking Russell? No, that’s not at all what is warranted.
Someone here recently used a good analogy about drafting guys who are “singles” or “doubles,” when we want the Lakers to draft a “home run.”
In retrospect, maybe Porzingis would have been that triple or home run compared to Russell being just a double or triple (however one rates him). But often when one swings for the fences, one strikes out. And in 2015 the Lakers simply couldn’t afford to strike out. If Russell was the safer play, so be it. He’s a good player who can still hopefully improve, maybe someday to an All-Star level; you can’t say that with confidence about most others chosen high in that draft.
The Lakers former front office was far from perfect, and I’ve shared those opinions many times. (See Nash, Steve) But choosing Russell and not Porzingis? That just isn’t a criticism I’d personally level in their direction.
LakeShowLarry says
I still really want to see Clarkson start alongside D-lo for a few games- just to see the dynamic. Wasn’t that what was originally thought that was going to happen?
Rick in Seattle says
We are expecting an awful lot from a sophomore guard who is not yet even 21. He has no competition to speak of, and has been annointed the leadervof the team by the coach, even though his leadership skills are not strong.
I suggest bringing in a competent competitive true pg. If they dont draft Ball or Fultz, then go after a veteran like Rubio. Actually Rubio is a good complementary piece because he is a good leader & also a good defender.
I’m not ready to trade Russell yet as some others are, but he clearly needs to step up his leadership, and I have a feeling Magic’s influence will help in that regard.
If not, Russell either is moved to sg, or he becomes traide bait for one of Magic’s all-star upgrades.
Let’s give Russell a little more time to develop before we pull the plug. The Lakers organization has given up too quickly on several decent players in the recent past like Whiteside and others. Look at Young. He is now over 30 and still has the maturity of an 18 yr old. Some players just take longer. But, I have a feeling that Magic & Pelinca aren’t going to be patient for very long!
Barath Sundar says
Dar isn’t a finished product by any means.
Yet, you would hope for greater improvement in year 2. Lou as a distraction is overblown. DAR is playing on a bad team and should always be competing with those better than him (unless he is a superstar)
The bump from playing post-lou feels like Clarkson’s first year end season bump. But who knows, dar may build on it better than Clarkson.
The interesting thing is to figure what portions of his game Dar could build on, and what are unlikely to improve much or quickly. Reps should improve his positioning on d, and awareness on o. Use his size, post up more. He is never going to be a dunk machine or great on man to man d.
The Westbrook comparisons are interesting but a bit misleading as Westbrook had very obvious strengths to build on, physical and mental.
I would love to see how dar does as a off guard, with someone as good as him handling the ball next to him.
Dar doesn’t feel like a hof at this point, but that’s an unfair burden.