Los Angeles Lakers: No Struggle, No Progress For D’Angelo Russell

Things aren’t off to the wondrous beginning that the Los Angeles Lakers brass expected. The young and talented Summer League roster has only registered one victory in three games. Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and rookie D’Angelo Russell are in the midst of an uphill battle to find their place in the NBA. Russell’s search falls under the microscope far more than any other players.

As the team’s newest usher into the future, expectations aren’t expected to waver from the Lakers’ historic reputation. At this stage, Russell isn’t leading the team to a championship, but he does have a chance to shape the identity of the young bunch.

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In the famous words of Rasheed Wallace, “ball don’t lie.” Russell has compiled a total of 20 turnovers in comparison to 10 assists in his first three games. Most of the bad decisions are attributed to lack familiarity with new teammates, and a new offense. Despite his excellent passing and vision, Russell is learning that the curve for an NBA point guard is very steep.

The good news in all of this: Russell is just 19 years old. Even better news, is that Russell has still shown tremendous promise both scoring and passing.

Despite what pundits may believe, he has plenty more basketball ahead to continue working through the kinks of the professional game. One of the other great things is that Russell clearly knows he must play better. SB Nation’s Drew Garrison wrote about Russell’s reflection after his first few games:

"“Every game matters to me, and me being competitive, I forget that it’s just Summer League,” D’Angelo said about his first taste of NBA competition. “I’m trying to get better so fast instead of being patient and letting it come to me.”"

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Part of the reason that Russell tends to be his own worst critics is that he wants to excel. The same high expectations that fans have are similar to his personal standard. Russell wants to make his team a winner while being the best player on the court. The one thing about that notion is that winners must establish foundation initially. Once the mind is set on structure, all other things follow.

As he makes his way through the process, Russell has plenty guys to lean on. Obviously, Kobe Bryant is one of the few, along with his fellow backcourt mate in Clarkson. Just like Russell, he went through his rookie transition and looks to continue contributing. By the end of his rookie campaign, Clarkson ended as one of the best in his class. The same conclusion would be nice for Russell.

While Los Angeles may not be the most patient place of growth in the basketball world, fans will have to deal with the reality of Russell’s. Despite his talent, he’s only a year removed from high school. I don’t expect the sporadic play to plague his career because he’s not even played real NBA minutes.

The one thing that I can count on is the continued self-reflection in Russell’s opportunities. As long as he challenges himself to learn, Russell will eventually become the point guard that the Lakers so desperately need.

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