Los Angeles Lakers: Believe It Or Not, D’Angelo Russell Is Improving
Not so fast, critics. Don’t label D’Angelo Russell a bust just yet.
Sure, Russell has gotten off to a rough start after being drafted second overall this June with the lofty expectations of being the most dynamic point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers since Magic Johnson.
Yes, his development thus far pales in comparison to fellow top five picks like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor and Kristaps Porzingis and even the point guard he was selected over in Emmanuel Mudiay. And yes, he’s been knocked for everything from being too passive to letting the limelight go to his head to even being nonchalant about getting better.
But make no mistake: D’Angelo Russell is starting to find his stride.
It seems that head coach Byron Scott has acquiesced slightly to the public criticism of his management of Russell’s minutes and is allowing the youngster more playing time. After averaging a miniscule 9.2 points per game on only 24.4 minutes a night, Russell has responded very well to having his playing time increased and is steadily earning Scott’s trust.
Russell is averaging 13.4 points per game over the last five contests and has significantly raised his field goal percentage (up to 44 percent from a 41 percent season average), three point percentage (38 percent from 33 percent) rebounds (5.4 per game) and assists (3.4).
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These numbers are a drastic improvement from the ones he put up over the first 10 games and are even more impressive considering he’s been performing this well against some of the league’s best point guards.
Over the last five games, Russell has gone head to head with the likes of Brandon Knight, Kyle Lowry, Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard (twice). Save for his matchup with the reigning league MVP, Russell has performed fairly well against each of them, having some of his best individual games of the season during this five-game stretch.
He scored a career-high 17 points against Lowry while going 43 percent from the field and 42 percent from behind the arc and has played terrific against Lillard, almost amassing a double-double in their first matchup with 13 points and nine assists and scoring 16 points on 54 percent shooting and 52 percent shooting from three in their second meeting.
What’s most impressive about this stretch is that Russell is starting to understand how to be a factor on this Lakers team that boasts some very dominating offensive personalities.
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On a team that needs him to contribute in more ways than just facilitating, Russell is finally stepping up as a scoring threat, showing glimpses of the player who gained so much national attention as the star guard at Ohio State last season.
He’s being more assertive in looking for and taking his shots and in addition, he’s found a way to do so efficiently, ranking third among rookie guards in field goal percentage and 10th overall among qualified rookies.
Unfortunately, Russell’s recent success hasn’t translated to wins for the Lakers, but it has started the gradual process of putting him back in the conversation with his fellow top draft picks. His 13.4 points per game over this five-game stretch is fourth among starting rookies in that span of time and is better than that of No. 1 overall pick Towns (8.6).
If Russell can keep up his impressive play, he can not only justify his top-two selection, but he may be in the Rookie of the Year race before season’s end.