Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell Back In The Rookie Of The Year Conversation
D’Angelo Russell’s spectacular play as of late may be reaffirming his status as the Los Angeles Lakers’ future star and as a Rookie of the Year candidate.
It’s finally happened, ladies and gentlemen. D’Angelo Russell is coming into his own before our very eyes.
After being a surprise selection as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft this June, Russell visibly struggled to adapt to the pace of the NBA game and his role as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of the season.
His struggles were only magnified by the fact that fellow rookies Jahlil Okafor, Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns all got off to hot starts with their respective clubs and staked their claims to the top spots in the Rookie of the Year race.
Multiple questions arose about Russell’s dedication and work ethic and whether or not the team had made a mistake by passing on Okafor to select the young point guard.
Well, don’t look now, but it seems like Russell is catching up to the pack — and then some.
Russell put the world on notice a week ago with his two best performances of the season coming in consecutive games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs.
In his second game coming off of the bench for the Lakers, Russell had a career night against the Timberwolves, going for a season and then career-high 23 points on 40 percent shooting in 32 minutes of play, including the shot that forced overtime.
Many wondered how Russell would follow that performance on Friday night against one of the best defensive teams in the league in the San Antonio Spurs. Russell did not disappoint, topping the career high he set two nights prior by going for 24 points while hitting a career high five three-pointers.
He also added six boards and six assists to lead the way for the Lakers in his return to the starting lineup, despite the game eventually resulting in a 109-87 loss.
In both games, Russell displayed a new found confidence and aggression on the offensive end, absolutely dominating opponents and showing off a scoring prowess that hadn’t been seen since his lone season as a standout freshman at Ohio State University.
While most fans and critics are just taking notice of Russell’s improvement, he’s actually been on the upswing for quite some time now.
After getting a boost in playing time from head coach Byron Scott in mid-November, Russell closed out the month by averaging 12.5 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game in that six-game stretch.
Russell has been even hotter so far in the month of December, averaging 15.1 points per game through seven contests and ranking third among all rookies in scoring this month. Since November, Russell has raised his scoring average from 9.2 points per game to 12.0 points per game, good for fourth among all rookies, and has also improved his assist and rebound numbers.
This drastic improvement has not only reaffirmed Russell’s promise and helped fans and members of the organization regain confidence in the No. 2 overall pick, but it has also reinserted him into the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Since going from a preseason favorite to win the award to falling out of contention due to his rough start, Russell has regained footing in the race with his recent play and is staking his claim to a spot at the top of his rookie class.
His 14.3 points per game through the last 15 contests for the Lakers is fourth among all rookies during that time period, only trailing leader Jahlil Okafor by 2.4 points. At the rate Russell is improving, he can easily make up that deficit by the end of the month.
Despite starting behind the curve, Russell has regained his confidence as of late and has begun to assert himself as the go-to guy for a young Lakers team clamoring for someone to fill that role with the imminent retirement of soon-to-be former franchise player Kobe Bryant.
Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 8
D’Angelo Russell has started to show how lethal he can be when his confidence and opportunity combine — and the league should take notice.