D'Angelo Russell Discussion: All Time Lakers Season 3 Point Shooter

^I usually don't see many Nets games so I can't really say how it has been, I mostly watch highlights. I can't even say how his D has progressed or regressed.

Fans are biased though. Just look at the Ball thread lol.

 

For real.

 

Damn! To think we could have had two of those players.

 

That’s a nice stat.

 

Well we don't have Air Jordan but we have AirBall...

 

Poor shooting. Still, 20-9-6-4

 

Very mad of the choke job of the Nets to let the friggin Thunder steal this one. Didn't see the last few Nets games.

I checked Russell's stats...18/4/6. Not really bad, but not really a significant jump either. His shooting numbers regressing back to the mean is disappointing...40% from the floor and 35% from 3.

Still looks like the guy with the higher ceiling (and one more gear than Lavert and Dinwiddie) but eventually your ceiling becomes what you are.

 

Inefficient. He’s getting all the usage he can handle right now, and i think it will highlight what he is. If he’s a volume chucker and they keep losing, that’s what we’ll find out. On the plus side, he’s not afraid to make a play. On the negative side, he’s making bad decisions.

 

IMO the problem is when you are on a team that sucks and has lost a gazillion straight games, its easy to "excuse" lethargic performances.

Little to no expectations on the Nets right now...its hard to push yourself when you are losing. Honestly, I haven't seen the Nets games lately. They were competitive earlier in the season but have given in.

Russell's value would suffer if he was putting up big numbers because it would be "good numbers on a crap team"...there is only one thing worse...putting up average numbers on a bad team.

And honestly, all this talk about "there are only 4 guys at age bla bla putting up bla bla numbers"...are meaningless. At the end of the day his contract is running out and as of right now, in my estimation he is due for a 3 year 30-40 mio. contract. I don't see him getting more than 3 years, maybe a 2 year deal because his "potential" is too uncertain.

You could argue that this is what Dante Exum got...who hasn't done **** in this league and probably won't. But teams are a little more cautious these days. But who knows...all you need is one dude to believe in you and be desperate enough.

 

Upside:Russ, Caris, Dinwiddie

If I were building a team, Caris just because he goes hard on both sides of the court and Russ hasn’t actualized enough potential yet.

How good are they? Caris can’t shoot outside. He’s coming off a horrific injury. Russ and Dinwiddie are both poor defenders who love to shoot, especially in crunch time. Russ guns ill-advised threes. Dinwiddie just drives in.

I don’t think Dinwiddie is better, and I don’t see the upside there either. So Russ.

 

I also think Dinwiddie is last out of the 3.

Caris
Russ
Dinwiddie


but he is from the area and has an inspiring story to get there so fans probably have a soft spot for him.

The Nets will have a decision to make. They won't keep both I think. I would take Russ over him even though numbers wise they might be close. He is younger and has more tools. He can do everything on the court, especially shooting the ball. And Russell isn't afraid of clutch moments. His biggest issue has never been physical or skill wise. It's always been how committed is he to the game. What is he putting on the table sacrifice-wise to be great.

My biggest concern for Russ is his knees. He has always struggled with his knees and at his age that's a little concerning. But this season he hasn't had knee issues right?

 

He hasn’t had any knee issues so far. He needs a movement coach. And some strength.

 

One interesting thing I'm seeing this year is how Russ does after his "outlier" games. KB noted that last year, he seemed to have a huge game then a garbage game, and he wasn't especially consistent.

After 30-point games, you'd expect him to have a regression to the mean type of game; here are his averages in such games:
14.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds

After single digit games, you'd expect him to have a regression to the mean type of game; here are his averages in such games:
23.8-5.8-6.0

So, he's close to his averages after 30-point games and he's coming through in a big way after single digit games. BTW, 3 30-point games and 4 single digit games this season.

 

Arguably his career best game tonight.