D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Adopting A Professional Attitude

I don't think that he lacks the ability to get into the paint and be effective. In fact, I think it's one of his strengths - he can post up opposing PGs and he can do that slow dribble that we've all seen against larger opponents. He simply doesn't need the ability to take the paint in other ways if that's effective.

Russ's DRPM is not good - at -1.8, but JC's is -3.0, better than only three of the 90 qualified PGs this season.

 

Actually I disagree with this. D'Angelo is not very good going to the basket. His lack of athleticism is an issue attacking the rim and when he's not in an aggressive mindset it becomes a real problem. He's shooting 55.6% at the rim, but it's the shot he takes the least of. He's taken more than 3x as many threes as layups or dunks. He's taken just 13% of his shots at the rim. Now that's okay. If he's not athletic enough to burst to the rim, that's fine, but his mid-range percentages aren't fantastic either. He's shooting a combined 41.8% from 3 feet away to the three point line.

Russell's mid-range game is wildly inconsistent. If he made more shots in that area, I'd be more comfortable, but teams don't care if he shoots a 16 foot shot. When D'Angelo is aggressive and uses a change of speed to get to the rim, he's a different player, but he just doesn't do it enough at all. Instead, he's been content to hoist threes where he takes 45% of his shots and only makes them 35% of the time.

If he were as aggressive going to the rim every game as he was against Cleveland or hell remember those games against Miami and Orlando last year? That's ideal D'Angelo right there.

As for his defense, like I said there's a legitimate problem there. He's not a good defender, but like most on the team he's fundamentally a bad defender. He's usually hunched forward, off balance, chasing guys way too close out past the three point line. He's been really poorly coached on that end. It's not inherently bad though, you can hide a bad defender, you just need another defender in the other guard spot. You need a guy capable and willing to defend the other team's better guard on a regular basis. Is Clarkson that guy? Is Ball or Fultz? Definitely not Clarkson and the other two kids are big question marks.

 

^I think D'Angelo is fully capable of getting to the hoop despite his lack of athleticism. If Steve Nash can get layups on a fairly frequent basis in this league, D'Angelo can sure as heck do it as well.

He's got the moves that make up for not being able to just blow by guys (like Westbrook). He's just got to get in that aggressive mindset more consistently and not settle for as many J's. He's young and will find the right balance, I'm sure. His head's probably always swimming a bit because it's mostly on him to always set up the offense. You can see him getting more comfortable in his role lately & playing more off-ball seems to have helped as well.

 

My point wasn't that he's incapable of doing it, but that he just doesn't do it which is in a lot of ways more frustrating.

I had an old coach who once told me, "Don't show me what you can do unless you're prepared to do it every time." It's poorly worded (he was 85 years old), but the point is when I see D'Angelo do it a few times in a couple games, I know he has the ability to do it so he needs to do it all the time. Or at least more often than he does. Way more often than he does.

For instance, I don't think he's a lot less athletic than Steph. In fact he's bigger than Steph so he's got some natural advantages. He just doesn't have the focus to do it.

 

Points off screens don't count now? Damn.

There are stereotypes of different types of game. I'm not sure why we have to pigeonhole Russ as this or that sort of player at this point and judge him according to the fake standard we've erected. Here's a comparison with Steph Curry:

Curry shoots 17% of his shots at the rim, 9% from 3-10, and 8% from 10-16. That's 32% of his shots inside 16. So, Russ is actually shooting as high a % of shots from 0-3, more out to 10', and more out to 16 feet. Russ shoots better in the 3-10 range, too. But he's lagging well behind in the 0-3 feet range vs. Curry's career - but Curry improved a lot over his career.

But BTW in Curry's first season, he was the same age as Russ now, and his numbers were 60% 0-4, 38% 3-10, and 39% 10-16. Russ's again are 57, 45, and 35. Let's have a bit of patience.

 

For the record Steph Curry takes 22% of his shots at the rim now and took 17% of his shots at the rim as a rookie. Russell takes 13% of his shots at the rim now. Beyond the percentage, Curry took 217 shots at the rim his rookie year through 80 games. D'Angelo (at the same age, but as a sophomore) has taken just 96 shots at the rim through 55 games. I understand the volume is different because of games played, but the ratio is off as well. Curry took 2.7 shots at the rim as a rookie, Russell as a sophomore is taking 1.75 shots at the rim. D'Angelo is on pace to take about 20-ish more shots at the rim in the next 11 games, so he'll still be well short of the amount of layups and dunks of Curry as a rookie. Curry this year has taken 275 shots at the rim and is on pace for easily more than 300 shots at the rim which makes up the second most frequent location that Curry shoots at (first obviously being from three).

I'm not taking khmrp's side because I often can't figure out what that side is, but I'm saying it's a very valid criticism that he doesn't get to the rim more often.

 

I don't think that getting to the rim is all that important. He's getting into the paint as regularly as Curry, for instance. Good looks are good looks. I won't go crazy over one stat.

 

So now the benchmark or comparative for Russell is a 70 point game, or he'll never be great? I've been as tough on Russell as anyone this season, his attitude on the court at times has been maddening, but there is criticism from wanting a player to play to potential or be consistent, and then there is irrational hatred.