I have many thoughts about D’Angelo Russell. Most of them good, some of them concerning, all of them pitted against the backdrop of his age, the direction the league is headed, and his current position on this specific version of the Lakers. That’s a mouthful, I know. In a shade under 4 weeks, Russell will […]
D'Angelo Russell
Kobe, Byron Scott Upset Over Loss & Lack of Defense
The Lakers lost their 6th straight game and second in two nights on Saturday, falling to the Blazers 121-103 in Portland. While there were couple of good individual performances on offense, the team, as a whole, played poorly on both sides of the floor. This isn’t new for a team which ranked 29th and 30th […]
Thoughts and Trends from the Lakers Last Twelve Games
Twelve games ago Byron Scott decided he wanted to shake up his starting lineup. The move was a controversial one as he demoted Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell — the two players most considered cornerstones of the team’s rebuild and future — from the ranks of the starters to reserves. The young players have said […]
Lakers Run a Quick Hitting Pick & Roll, Part 2
Last week we broke down a nice pick and roll set the Lakers ran against the Spurs. The set started out of a Princeton formation with a two-guard front, but incorporate a dribble hand-off and flowed right into a pick and roll. The action set up a rhythm 15-footer for Lou Williams which he knocked […]
Lakers’ Run Quick Hitting P&R out of a Princeton Set-Up
The Lakers remain one of the lesser offensive teams in the league. A high producing unit or a scoring flurry from one of their several quality offensive players just doesn’t equate to a stable, high performing team. On the whole, the team still ranks 29th in offensive efficiency and while I think, over time, they […]
Preview & Chat: Lakers vs. Rockets
The end of the Lakers’ 8-game, 12 day road trip is finally here. After nearly two weeks on the road, the Lakers play their 3rd back to back of the trip tonight, in Houston, against the Rockets. The Lakers are 1-6 to this point, with the Spurs pulling away from them in the 2nd half last […]
Watch: D’Angelo Russell Highlights from Lakers/Hawks
The Lakers may have lost to the Hawks on Friday night, but how they went about doing it wasn’t the worst thing ever. Yes, they started out slowly and allowed the Hawks to take control of the game. And, yes, Kobe had another poor shooting night. But the team, overall, still played hard throughout, battled […]
Why Comparing D’Angelo Russell to Other Rookies is Problematic
In the lead up to the draft, when I wrote about whether D’Angelo Russell was worth the #2 pick, I ultimately concluded that I thought he was. Nothing through the Lakers first 11 games has changed my mind or made me second guess that. Not Russell’s sub 40% shooting from the field, not his sub-3 […]
D’Angelo Russell’s In-Game Splits Show Strong Play in 2nd Halves
Tuesday night’s loss the Heat was pretty much expected. On the road + playing a good team + the Lakers being not a good team right now = a loss. I think we can all live with that result. Frustratingly, what has also become somewhat expected but is harder to live with is that D’Angelo […]
Lakers Lose to the Heat 101-88, Russell Sits Another 4th Quarter
The Lakers lost again. This, in and of itself, is not news. It is especially not news when they are on the road and playing a good team, as they did on Tuesday night, against the Heat in Miami. So, with the simplest of explanations, chalk this up to one team losing to a better […]