D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Opted In!

So D'Angelo Russell is better than Lonzo Ball? Magic

 

Love this guy, his game is built for the Lakers.

 

He's confident without being overbearing.. nightmare scenario for opponents now. Have enough problems defending D. Russ then Dennis comes off the bench leaving a trail of fire and smoke like The Flash.

This could end up pretty darn entertaining if we stay healthy.

 

Feel bad for Lonzo.

He was really really good last year: basically was the player Lakers thought they were getting. Terrici defense and PG and was shooting the ball great. It's no coincidence that the Bulls went from a top team in the East to barely making the playoffs without him.

 

bottom line for us is that all these guys turned out pretty good but they all needed time to develop. I think Magic expects great players to come out of the gate being great, like he and Bird did but the truth is, most guys need some time to learn. There have been a few guys who I feel we short changed and they are showing us now. Glad that DLo has come back and is showing us how good he could be. That last game, he was looking like the 2nd pick of the draft.

 

Saw a flash on my phone today that Carmelo formally retired.

 

How demoralizing for opponents, the last point guard we had who can do this to opponents was in the 90s.

 

that would be nick the quick

 

D’Lo’s game reminds me a lot of Manu Ginobili. Their size, they pace they play at, playmaking ability, perimeter shooting.

 

Or you could say he is the best player named Russell we've had

 

Best Russell ever including the C Bag

 

So many gems in this interview. The emotional intelligence and maturity is on another level compared to his first stint with us. We absolutely need to retain him

 

always get a huge kick out of del harris's reaction to van exel's GW at boston garden

 

Raise your hand if you think Austin is going to benefit a lot and learn some “Pro” skills from DAR.

“Austin Reaves credits new teammate D’Angelo Russell for never ‘making a wild play’.

On a night where the two shined, Austin Reaves was sure to give lots of credit to new teammate D’Angelo Russell for his role in the Lakers win over Toronto.

Austin Reaves’ two seasons in Los Angeles have featured a lot of changes and new faces. In fact, he’s been one of the few constants for the team over that span.

He’s seen lots of bad Lakers basketball and, more recently, lots of good Lakers basketball. On Friday, he played a pivotal role in one of the more fun wins of the season as they overcame a brutal third quarter to win going away in the fourth.

Reaves played a big part in that victory, scoring 18 points with five rebounds off the bench with 14 of those points coming in the second half. His backcourt mate and new teammate D’Angelo Russell led the team in scoring with 28 points with an explosive fourth-quarter performance.

After the contest, Reaves talked about what Russell and what he feels makes him so productive.

“He’s a really good basketball player that plays the game the right way,” Reaves said. “You don’t really see him too many times, in the midst of the game, making a wild play. He’s very under control, plays at his own pace. Like I said, he’s just super talented. The shots he was hitting in the fourth (quarter) was ridiculous. You’ve got only a handful of guys that take those shots in those situations.”

You wouldn’t have to squint too hard to interpret that as a shot at Russell Westbrook. Describing Russ as in control and not prone to wild plays would not be particularly accurate.

It should be made abundantly clear, though, that there is very little chance Reaves meant this as a direct shot at Russ. He’s never been that kind of player, teammate or person in his time here. Quite the contrary, actually.

Now, this could more easily be an indirect shot at Westbrook, though. The only point guard Reaves has known in the NBA has been Russ and his erratic play. It’s just objectively true that Russ and D’Lo play the same position in drastically different ways.

While D’Lo and Reaves have not been together for long, the former has already made a notable impact on the latter. In discussing his strong second half, Reaves revealed the encouragement he’s received from Russell.

“Tonight, I made a couple of good plays,” Reaves said. “D’Lo is on my back all the time about staying aggressive and being myself. So, shoutout to him for having the confidence in me and keep boosting me up to make those type of plays.”

It’s again worth noting that D’Lo hasn’t always had the greatest reputation in that regard, with some caveats. He was initially traded from the Lakers at least partially because of his attitude, if you believe Byron Scott (you probably shouldn’t). In Minnesota, Russell’s relationship with Rudy Gobert reportedly soured to an extreme degree, leading to them parting ways with him at the deadline.

It’s only two examples in a growing career for Russell, but hearing this sort of response from Reaves is encouraging. And when it’s two relatively young guards that could be part of the team’s core moving forward, it’s even better news.”

Silver Screen & Roll

 

great Q on vando, great answer, too.

also liked the Q about timing on heat-check shots. it's something i've wondered about. seems like stockton and chris paul especially really knew when was the right time to just pull up at take a shot.

this is true and important. when i wanted us to trade russ for rozier (thinking dlo wasn't possible), i wanted stuff like this. and rozier barely qualifies here, if at all. but dlo definitely does.

score one for maturation. he sounds a lot different in interviews and looks different on the floor. scott was probably right back then, but he was just the wrong guy for the job of coaching a young russell, too.