D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Adopting A Professional Attitude

this was my assessment. thought he played well overall, had a few shots rattle out, then was off. he'll make shots going forward; he always has. the passing and playmaking was good; he compteted on defense and on the boards, and i liked his general spirit (divincenzo was trying to trash talk/bully him and he wasn't having it).

 

His shots didn't fall, but he didn't hang his head, and credit to JJ for sticking with him because DLO made some nice plays in the 3rd/4th that were key to us winning.

I think so long as DLO can do the little things and provide gravity offensively, he's going to be a plus for us. He is going to get his shot going and when he does, we will probably blow teams out.

He historically does not play well against Minnesota btw - and it's mostly because they got multiple guys (Jaden, NAW, ANT, Conley) that bother him cuz they're physical with him.

Also - dLO with only 1 TO is huge

 

Rui stays, Dlo goes the way this season is unfolding. JJ correctly dumping Dlo for Vincent for large parts of the second.

I still like him but the lackadaisical plays really hurt and the defense even when he's trying is exploited too much: playoffs all over again. He can get you a couple of good runs against better teams in a dogfight but he's not a guy you can trust to give you 30 minutes in a tough game.

 

Honestly DLO is just off right now and when he's off, he's reallyyy off

Alternatively when he's on...he's REALLY on and we will probably blow out teams if he's on.

Also we've taken the ball out of his hands and put it into Reaves hands and I think that's yielding pretty damn good results so far

 

Looking like the odd man out right now. I do expect him to have a break out game at some point though.

 

Can not wait till he's gone. I don't care if we don't get a better player, im done with this fool. I know he's about to drop 35 with 7 or 8 three pointers but whatever.

 

He's played off ball before, he has to be much better offensively. He is trying defensively, hands are up in the passing lanes but his ceiling on that end is the floor for most starting point guards on contending teams. He can't lose the effort and buy in, he likes JJ and they can vibe on hoop talk so hopefully that's enough to not lose him until he finds his way or finds his way out of town.

It's early and sample is way too small but if it's December or January and it looks like this still, and are relying on Gabe that much, DLO has to go. Package him, Vando and a first and see how many needs you can address.

 

That man and his hair….. just hard for me to take him seriously

 

Someone please tell DLO that the season has actually started.
He’s showing why nobody is willing to invest in him long term.

 

Tinkerbell is showing that he's willing to sacrifice his stats for wins

Probably Sirron

 

we're 2-0 right now, and he actually hit a big three in last night's game that nobody cared about.

phx went after him relentlessly on offense, but imo, that went against their early success (which was based on frenetic ball movement more than mismatch hunting). i agreed with jj's decision to sit him in favor of gabe late, though.

he remains a talented but flawed player, as are many.

 

Right..wins matter more than stats. Good job Tinkerbell.

 

hahahaha, where did that come from?

 

Best game by far. This is the Russell we need...

 

Way to step up in a tough game, j******.

 

Is there another Dante Exum out there? because that is the ideal Laker pickup.

Needs a guy who can guard 1-3, hit an open shot, and bring the ball up the floor with some decent athleticism. This team becomes a title contender otherwise it's the same old with Dlo - his defensive shortcoming and lack of ability to draw fouls (both due to his lack of athleticism) really stick out against good teams.

 

I still don't understand why Markelle Fultz isn't on a roster. Obviously can't count on him to hit a shot, but the kid is shifty with the ball on offense and has the size and quickness to defend multiple positions. He's looked like a guy who can provide some guard depth the last couple of years in Orlando. Maybe he was only looking at minimums so he's waiting for a team in need that gives him more PT later in the year, but he was the guy I wanted to take a flyer on this year.