D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Adopting A Professional Attitude

Here are a few examples of why Russell & Clarkson don't get more assists, from today's game alone. Click "Play #1, Play #2" etc for the video clip of each play.

Play #1 - This is a Double PnR for Clarkson, with Randle as the first screener and Hibbert as the second screener. Randle pops, and Hibbert rolls, effectively screening Randle's man. This is actually nice action, which is rare for us. Randle misses the wide open 16 footer. Most teams not only have a guy who can hit this shot regularly, but many have a stretch 4 who can hit this from 3 point range. Randle generates just 0.68 PPP on his Spot Ups, which puts him in the 11th percentile in the league.

Play #2 - Post up action for Russell. So...who exactly is he supposed to pass the ball to here? He catches and surveys, but there are no cutters, and for some reason Randle decides he's gonna go stand next Hibbert, effectively rendering the entire weak side useless. This is nothing more than an isolation with 4 guys watching 1. Where's the assist opportunity here?

Play #3 - This is the same Double PnR that's in Play #1, except this time it's Russell running it. New Orleans defends this a little differently, icing the screen, which means that the guy who's guarding Russell doesn't let him use the screen. Russell dribble drags in the opposite direction, and hits Hibbert on the Pick & Pop. This is exactly how you're supposed to run that, but Hibbert doesn't even look to shoot. It's a step outside of his range. So the open shot that Russell creates here isn't even taken.

Play #4 - Russell spends most of the game making passes like this. They're simple initiation passes to get an offensive set (in this case, Motion Weak) going. The problem is that we're so elementary in our sets that the PG rarely gets the ball back. We just don't move it enough for that to happen. There are no assist opportunities on plays like this. (although this particularly play is well executed)

Play #5 - High PnR w/Russell & Sacre here. The Pelicans "soft hedge" this PnR, meaning that the big hangs back in the paint while the guard goes over the top of this screen. Russell could shoot the pullup here, but makes the better play by moving it to Sacre. The weak side defender doesn't totally commit to Sacre, but he's still far enough away to where passing it to Kelly makes sense, and Sacre makes the right play. The end result is a wide open shot for Kelly, which he misses. Russell wouldn't have gotten an assist even if he made, but this is an example of the shot creation that I often talk about. And if Sacre could shoot, that'd be an assist opportunity for Russell there as well.

Play #6 - Another Russell/Sacre PnR, and the Pelicans soft hedge again. Ajinca hangs too far back and Russell knocks down the elbow jumper. But if you pause it as Russell goes up for the shot...no one's open. Huertas would be if he was in the right spot, but he's too low, and should be in the "open window" between #2 and Russell's defender. Scare also doesn't roll fast/hard, or else he'd be available in that open window as well. No assist opportunity here with this spacing.

Play #7 - Another iced PnR, and while I see what Hibbert's trying to do here, simply taking the open shot is a better play.

Play #8 - ...except he does that on the very next play and it's a brick.

Play #9 - Most of our PnRs look like this. It's a pick, and neither a roll or a pop. Russell comes off the screen and who exactly is open? Russell's pulling up for a contested jumper and Hibbert hasn't even rolled past the 3-point line. We create very few open looks because our big generally don't roll hard to the basket.

That's all I have for tonight, and I'll find more for Clarkson, but that's why we don't get more assists from them. There aren't assists to be had on the vast majority of plays.

Some Weekend Reading; From GoldenThroat; thought it was cool.

 

um, he's been employing the woodbutt methodology from day one. are you not paying attention? I GOT A SPOT ON THE WOOD FOR YOU, TOO!

 

Good analysis by Golden Throat. Pretty much what I've said all season long. Nobody moves. Nobody can hit an open shot. Most of the bigs Russell plays with can't finish. Hibbert is horrible and so immobile. Julius is improving, but still has a long way to go. I don't know how anyone expects these guys to rack up assists when we have no ball movement, no shooting, no finishers, and most of the time Kobe has the ball. When he's in anyway. There are no assists to be had. People talk about Huertas. He gets to play with Nance and Bass (at least until Bass was benched for some idiotic reason). He's also clearly more of a natural passer. His problem is he passes too much, doesn't shoot open shots often or well enough, and those dreaded jump passes.

 

It Will be a huge relief
Once Boron is turned into ground beef
Always talking about the rooks
Just put him on the grill and let him cook
No way i call him a coach
More like a bedbug ant or roach
It will be utter treason
To let him coach for one more season
It will be very pleasin
To see him fired for any reason

 

Unfortunately. Still can't help but worry that we keep him.

 

I'm sure if we can't net Durant or any sought after FA, Boron's firing will suffer some "delay"

 

I may be in the minority here...but I really hate what I've seen from D'Angelo to finish the season. I get it, Byron sucks, and he's the major reason that it's all fallen apart for us and our young guys have no confidence. But I was really hoping after the D'Angelo Rat Fiasco, that he was going to come out guns blazing and light up everybody because he would have that Kobe "eff you" attitude on the court. Besides the New Orleans game, which we lost btw and SHOULD NOT have lost (I mean can you name a single player on that squad that we played against that night?), he's been quite underwhelming despite getting the minutes AND Lou has been sitting out games.

I'm not going to overreact to this...it's probably just the rookie wall along with all the pressures of being great while playing in a really crappy system....but I'm no longer totally sold on Russell being a franchise player. I think he'll be a very good point guard in this league some day....but he's not somebody that is going to be a superstar. I just don't see it. And I don't mind parting ways with him this summer if it means getting somebody like Jimmy Butler or DeMarcus Cousins. I also don't mind keeping him, but I don't think we should be building our squad around him. He needs to be a key piece...not THE guy though that everyone thinks he's going to be or should be.

I guess I should give him a shot under a new coach next year....but I dunno. I would understand if he was traded this summer.

 

1) He just turned 20 on the worst team in this franchise's history with possibly the worst coach in franchise history. 2) Kobes last month was going to be ridiculous regardless of what he did. All would revolve around Kobe so his shooting and aggressiveness would be off. 3) mentally dealing with the nick young fiasco while all of this was happening is also a factor 4) I agree he hit a wall in the past month but give the kid a break and don't write him off. The potential is there but we won't be able to tell if he can lead a franchise until we have a new coach with no distractions and some good veteran presence. If he doesn't strive in that situation then we will know he was not the one. Don't base it off his shooting poorly and not being agressive in the last 10 games of a 65 loss season

 

Just a youngin, and immature,
Still waiting for his balls to drop.
but you can see the talent
Is among the best in the new crop

Spoiler: But this guy...

This guy's balls have dropped

 

"Possibly the worst coach in franchise history"?
b0ron is THE WORST coach in the history of the NBA. There are numbers to prove it

 

I want to see Russell under another coach...no doubt. But again, if Lakers decided to trade him, I won't lose sleep over it.

 

Trading D'Angelo would be about as stupid as keeping Byron. We finally have a young core we can build around with possibly one more piece coming in the draft. Why break it up? Unless we're getting a star in return makes no damn sense.

 

I think you answered your own question. I don't think anyone would suggest trading the young players for salary relief. anyway, as discussed weeks ago in the randle thread: nobody's offering stars for these guys right now, so it's a moot point.

 

I think D'Angelo has had a very productive rookie year despite the circus that is the KFT.

 

I don't want to trade Russell for proven talent. I don't think he'll fetch fair value at this point in time.

I would, however, trade the #2 pick (hypothetically) if it got us a great, contractually committed talent. That'd help a ton attracting free agents.