5 Bold Predictions For Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets

3. D’Angelo Russell Finishes With More Than 30 Points

With what we saw during the Summer League and preseason, D’Angelo Russell appears primed to take over as the Lakers’ go-to offensive threat. He’s got the skills to be a star, and seems to have the trust of new head coach Luke Walton heading into the opener.

So why not start his quest to be the new face of the franchise with a bang?

I’m thinking more than 30 points in the opener against the Rockets will do. It’ll be a strong start to his sophomore season, and a perfect opportunity to show he can shoulder the scoring burden.

The Lakers have plenty of scoring potential, but Russell seems like the best option to be the main man in Los Angeles.

Russell can get hot in a hurry, which doesn’t bode well for a Rockets team that’s missing pesky point guard Patrick Beverley (via ESPN). That means the sophomore will see plenty of Eric Gordon and James Harden, who are both sub-par (at best) defenders.

It may take a lot of shots, but Russell will eclipse the 30-point mark on Wednesday. It’s just what the Lakers need to prove they can keep up on the scoreboard in 2016-17.