Los Angeles Lakers: D'Angelo Russell Making Award Push?

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns seemed to have the Rookie of the Year award sewed up, but a late push from Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell could shake things up.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has had a phenomenal rookie year thus far.

Towns is averaging a double-double on the season with 17.7 points a game and 10.2 rebounds per game, both tops among rookies. He’s also averaging 1.8 blocks a night and has posted 36 double-doubles this season, 18 more than the second rookie on that list, New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis.

Add these stats to the fact that he’s paired with last season’s rookie phenom in Andrew Wiggins to lead the Timberwolves to an improved record of 20-45 in 2015-16 and Towns has a pretty solid case for sole ownership of the top spot in the Rookie of the Year race.

However, a late season surge from a fellow lottery pick may challenge Towns’ uninhibited run to the award.

Jan 27, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates a basket in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-123. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Los Angeles Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell has recovered from a rough start to his inaugural season and put together an extraordinary run post All-Star break. Russell is averaging a whopping 20.7 points a night while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and a remarkable 56.4 percent from three since being reinstated in the starting lineup on Feb. 21 against the Chicago Bulls.

These averages are due in large part to a phenomenal March where the rookie point guard is putting up 23.6 points, 4.4 assistsand 1.8 steals per game on a shooting split of .473/.436/.750.

During this stretch, the rook scored a career-high 39 points in a win over the Brooklyn Nets and led the team to consecutive victories over the defending champs in the Golden State Warriors and the Orlando Magic.

This recent success has raised Russell’s season averages to 13.3 points per game on a shooting split of .427/.359/.711 — not bad for a player some were starting to consider a bust.

Mar 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D Angelo Russell (1) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert (left) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (back) after making a shot during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Lakers won 107-101. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

For a while, Russell was considered a distant fourth in the Rookie of the Year race behind Towns, Porzingis and Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor.

However, due to his recent upswing in play and guys like Porzingis hitting the rookie wall as of late, Russell has put himself in direct contention with Towns for the most coveted first-year award.

Though many believe that Towns is running away with the award due to his stats and advanced skill set, Russell is asserting his spot as the second best player in this class, if not a contender for the top spot.

Russell has been uncannily dominant against all kinds of opponents and that dominance is actually translating to wins — the Lakers are 3-2 in March in large part because of Russell’s leadership.

More hoops habit: NBA: 30 Greatest Ball Handlers of All-Time

Towns may be the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, but if Russell can continue his strong play, it won’t be by as wide of a margin as some may think.

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Is D’Angelo Russell A Threat To Karl-Anthony Towns’ ROY Bid?

By Carter Johnson | Mar 9, 2016

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns seemed to have the Rookie of the Year award sewed up, but a late push from Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell could shake things up.