D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Adopting A Professional Attitude

Dloading has been balling lately! loading:

 

Apologies all around, as I was not trying to eat crow. While I was initially in favor of the Russell pick, like many I got very insecure about it when he started looking confused and soft out there. I think someone suggested his ceiling was Andre Miller. This was made all the worse by the fact that Okafor, while limited in all the ways we thought he would be, was also as solid and dependable in all the areas we thought he would be. So, more than anything, I'm just relieved AF that it seems to be working out. I meant to share in that relief, not chastise anyone for thinking we should have used our pick on Bumfights.

 

Haven't been on a while because i was getting swamped at work, but in the beginning of the season Russell looked extremely confused. I was appalled how a 2nd pick PG couldn't read the floor. Every game i had the chance of watching i saw him pull up at the 3pt line for a contested or open (didnt really matter) shot and brick it constantly. I also haven't seen him take advantage of mismatches in the post, but then again i didnt have the luxury of watching every game this season.

When she pulls up or spots up, I really have no confidence that its going in. I just don't see it, when i say JC play in the preseason in his rookie year.

I just saw it in him,the way he plays, he was a legit talent. The way he plays the came, pulls up, drives. I just can't say the same for russell, I just had much more higher hopes for a 2nd Pick PG.

 

Have you watched Russell lately? Not the same player. In spite of Scott peeing in the Corn Flakes of his season. Check the game highlights of his 39 point game against the Nets last week.

 

@D-Fish Man OK, thanks for the clarification. Yeah the off-court issues are a legitimate concern for Okafor. I expect better discipline for players coming out of Duke.

@therealdeal Yeah, the Knicks got a ton of heat for taking Porzingis even at #4. The pressure at #2 was enormous and Porzingis was an impossible proposition. I think even Russell over Okafor was a pretty gutsy move by our FO and I applaud them for that.

@abeer3 Hmm, that is an interesting take on Porzingis and Randle. Randle tends to be a bit stagnant on either end, so I'd rather have an active big (ie Towns, A.Davis) next to him. I agree with you and prefer Russell over Porzingis. Porzingis is such an anomaly it's really hard to gauge his potential, whereas Russell's game is the definition of modern and more adaptable to any system imo.

 

I suggest you start watching the games again. D'Angelo Russell has 'superstar' written all over him. His poise, basketball IQ, and scoring ability are off the charts. He's the total package. If you prefer hard evidence, here are some numbers.....in the last 8 games since becoming a starter, Russell has averaged 20/4/5 on 46/49/70 shooting.

 

That free-throw shooting can use a little work.

 

not sure what you were watching, looney. the thing I didn't like about Russell early was that he was so tentative. I never got the sense that he couldn't read the floor or that he wouldn't be able to shoot. as far as passing the eye test, he's always looked like a natural to me. you bring up Clarkson, and to me, Clarkson looks like someone who's had to work very hard to become a good player. nothing wrong with that--in fact, it's great. but nothing looks like it comes easy to him. Russell looks like he was born doing this.

 

You must have stopped watching games around December. January you started seeing things click for Russell. A few more drives a game, didn't finish some but he finally took it to the basket. Those missed 3's started falling. He makes the right pass instead of trying to go with the flashy pass. Problem was BS messing with his playing time and taking unnecessary shots at him through the media.

February, he really exploded, especially when he got back in the starting line up. He's been on a rather impressive stretch of games. And it doesn't seem like it's just a flash in the pan either.

 

You're right, and the percentage seems a bit low for such a good shooter.

 

D'Angelo Russell is finally overcoming his own head coach
By Zito Madu  @_Zeets on Mar 8, 2016, 10:27a 10


Original photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images

Byron Scott placed unnecessary roadblocks on D'Angelo Russell's path to stardom. We're finally seeing the young guard break those down.

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Rumble, young man, rumble.







Whether D'Angelo Russell succeeds or fails in reaching superstardom, it won't be for lack of confidence. He's turning around while the ball is still in the air – calling his own made shot – against the best team in basketball, just a game removed from a cold performance against the Atlanta Hawks where he missed 13 of 16 shots.


It's a display of self-belief that might be considered arrogance in due time. But this belief in his own ability is necessary for not just his rise in the NBA, but his utter survival. There will be opponents, bad games and circumstances that will test his mettle going forward.

Currently though, he's trying to overcome his own coach. Byron Scott has seemingly made it his mission to dismantle the point guard's spirit. From refusing to play Russell in numerous fourth quarters, benching him for "trying to take over games" to criticizing everything from the youngster's playfulness to a supposed laziness, Scott's been a constant killjoy. At one point, he took Russell out of the game just to teach him a lesson. As Scott puts it:

"It was more of, not only that he wasn’t playing great but more to let him know that you still haven’t earned this..."

It left the player utterly lost about his development:




Which seemed to be a humorous ordeal for the man in charge of his progress:



But you can't keep a good man down forever. Especially not one that hits a dagger against the Brooklyn Nets en-route to a career-high – and the most points scored by a Lakers rookie since 1959 – 39 points, and then turns around to crowd to let them know that he has ice in his veins. He then retorted his coach's criticism about the celebration by saying: "It's a new day. It’s not the old day. I do what I do."







After finally returning to the starting lineup after the All-Star break, Russell has averaged almost 20 points and five assists in the eight games. Against the Warriors, he recorded 21 points, five assists, three rebounds and four steals. He only trails Stephen Curry in three-point percentage during that time. He's been the player the Lakers hoped when he was drafted before what many considered to be better choices.

The false equivalency for Scott and fans has then become that the coach's tough love methods have worked. He set out to challenge the player and the player has responded by showing his worth. But that type of reasoning is parasitic and creates a situation where the coach wins regardless of what happens to Russell. If the player fails, then Scott was right in insinuating that his mentality was weak. If the player succeeds, as Russell is now doing, then it was because he passed the tests set upon him.

It mirrors a life philosophy that is often misunderstood: the belief in the nobility of struggle. While it's commendable when one succeeds in overcoming adversity, there's nothing noble about actively seeking it out. It's far worse when burdening someone with it when you have the resources to relieve struggle instead. A privileged position is the ideal, not a pejorative. The whole point is to live life without struggle, after all.

In this case, the fact that Russell has managed to shine despite his coach's antics is not a testament to those antics, but a further affirmation of the youngster's ability and character. And it's very disingenuous to take credit for Russell's rise, when the player himself predicted this situation back in December:

"Once I get comfortable with my team, my coaches and all that, the same problems I was having months ago, people are going to be like, ‘Dang, he’s come a long way.’ Because everywhere I’ve been, I’ve struggled first, but then made (success happen)."

This bodes well for the ultimate hope for Russell going forward then, and that's the commendable aspect of struggle. That he is able to still shine with the constraints around him is remarkable. Whether it's having his rookie season coincide with Kobe Bryant's farewell tour (a situation the team admitted they cared about more than the development of youngsters), being part of an offense that for most of the season discouraged one of his best strengths in three-point shooting or having a coach who believes that leaving youngsters bemused is the best way to develop them.

The kid can play at an elite level. He's shown that in the limited time he's been given so far. He loves the big moments, as the Warriors learned. So too did the Minnesota Timberwolves in the early days of December. In a game Kobe voluntarily sat out the fourth quarter and Jordan Clarkson missed with a mildly sprained ankle, Russell scored a then-career high of 23 points, including the game-tying jumper to take the contest to overtime. He attempted the game-winning jumper at the end of overtime and missed.

That drive to be in the big moments isn't something to be criticized, especially not when the same quality is praised in the context of the retiring legend with whom Russell shares a locker room. The Lakers wanted a superstar when they drafted Russell, and they got a player with the promise and confidence of one. A kid with ice in his veins, a drive to improve and a belief in himself that won't shake for anyone, including his own coach.

He also has the edge that would make even Kobe proud:

"So I’d always rather be a late bloomer at anything I do. I don’t want to be great right away" he said, via Lakers.com. "I love the process. I love when people say, ‘You suck! You’re a bust!’ I love that. Because whether it’s months or years, whatever it takes, best believe they’ll be thinking about those words they said a while ago."

It wasn't Byron Scott's tough love that made D'Angelo Russell great. Russell prophesied that he would be a star from the beginning, and he's willing to work for that goal. His success right now -- and hopefully in the future -- is just proof of that superstar mentality.

* * *


http://www.sbnation.com/2016/3/8/11178136/dangelo-russell-highlights-byron-scott-struggle

Eat it Scott. Hope the front office reads. What everyone can see. Russ is getting scary good completely on his own and what he gets from Kobe and the vets. Not Scott who has been an impediment to his development the whole season up until the last few games, in trying to save his job.

 

Wow!!! Finally got to read that in depth. Article of the year on the dynamic and anchor around his neck between Russell in his rookie season and his moron of a bad guy period "coach". He said on media day he would figure it out. Damn he is doing it, and in spite of the huge negative effect of Scott the a-hole.

 

Best Lakers related article I have read in a loooooooong time, thanks for sharing!

 

What?????????

Russell is easily playing his best ball of the season and has steadily improved each month despite Byron's best efforts. Even when he wasn't hitting shots regularly the advanced stats showed how much he was impacting a game.

 

Great read