Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell Earning Role As Closer, Leader

D’Angelo Russell has taken a page out of his mentor’s book and emerged as a clutch player and leader for the Los Angeles Lakers.

A night that started out as a tremendous showing for aging star Kobe Bryant (28 points in three quarters, making him the youngest player to score 33,000 career points) ended in an even more outstanding display by rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell in a close loss for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Sacramento Kings.

In a game reminiscent of the contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves in early December, the young Laker trio of Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle led an amazing 20+ comeback against the Sacramento Kings with Bryant on the bench for the entire fourth quarter and Russell at the helm.

After being a steady scoring presence throughout the game, Russell channeled his inner Black Mamba, scoring 11 of his career-high 27 points and going 4-for-5 from the field in the fourth quarter before having to leave the game with a bad ankle.

Nonetheless, Russell’s display of tenacity set a new career-high for a rookie and showed yet another step in the development of a player who was being criticized for his lackadaisical approach at the start of the season.

The game not only served to break up a string of subpar performances for the youngster, but also gives him a pair of clutch performances along with the overtime loss to the Timberwolves where Russell scored a then-career high 23 points and hit the shot to force OT.

These two spectacular performances tell the story of a rookie who has stepped into the go-to guy role, especially in the clutch.

Russell currently boasts the fourth highest usage rating among all rookies and the second highest behind his mentor Bryant on the Lakers at 22.6. Even more impressive, Russell leads all rookies in clutch points in the fourth quarter with 1.9 and boasts the second highest field goal percentage among starting rookies at 60 percent in crunch time.

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However, even more important than his newly found clutch role is his emergence as a leader among a young Laker core.

Russell seems hungry for the big moment, embracing the responsibility that comes with leading the team down the stretch. Both Bryant and head coach Byron Scott have noticed and are willingly letting Russell run the show for the Lakers in tight games, with Scott giving the rookie more free range within the team’s offense.

Moreover, Russell understands the importance of earning that confidence and is eager to prove he’s worthy of it.

This is a big statement for a rookie, as most are just trying to figure out how to be productive factors on their teams.

Russell understands the expectations that are placed upon him as not only the point guard of the Lakers, but as a player who is expected to be the team’s star for years to come. He is aware that leadership inevitably comes with that position and, early in his career, he’s not only acknowledging that responsibility — he’s embracing it.

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Russell’s early success as a clutch player not only hints at the maturation of his game, but also at the maturation of his mental approach to his role in the team’s future. It’s important for a young player of his caliber on a franchise of this caliber to embrace the limelight and the expectation to produce that comes with it.

So far, it seems like the rook is taking a step in the right direction.