Highly-touted out of Ohio State, No. 2 overall-pick D'Angelo Russell had his share of highs-and-lows under former coach Byron Scott.
Enter the Luke Walton era. The 36-year-old is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Russell is loving every bit of it.
“He’s one of the best people I know, as far as off the court,” Russell told Serena Winters of Lakers’ Nation of his relationship with Walton. “We communicate on and off the court as much as possible. I feel like I can call him anytime.”
Walton was a hands-on type of coach in his time with the Golden State Warriors, often being the one that players came to for advice.
It was his charisma and ability to relate and manage egos with confidence that propelled the Warriors to a 24-0 start and a 39-4 record with Walton as interim head coach while Steve Kerr recovered from a back injury.
“He’s not like a head coach that will sit back and just watch his other coaches and colleagues just train other players, he’s always involved,” said Russell. “He’ll get out there and play with you if he wants. It’s just great to have a young coach like him in the building.”
If Walton can keep this kind of rapport with his young players, which the Lakers have plenty of — there's room to grow in Los Angeles.
The relationship between Luke Walton and D'Angelo Russell will be under a microscope as the team is bound to see numerous struggles during the season due to their inexperience.
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