D’Angelo Russell holds a lot of promise this season, especially due to a change in the Los Angeles Lakers’ team culture.
Gone are the days of the reported disciplinarian rule of coach Byron Scott, and in comes the more team friendly and vibrant approach courtesy of Luke Walton.
Russell should be the main beneficiary of this shift as he found in himself in Scott’s doghouse last season for a certain stretch, until showing off his talent after the All-Star break. Under Walton, the former second overall pick will enjoy a more relaxed guidance.
However, the road to a breakout year was met with a slight bump during camp as D’Angelo Russell was reportedly underwhelming, per Mark Medina’s article for The Orange County Register.
Walton conceded Russell had “some questionable moments” during Wednesday’s scrimmage before refering to some defensive miscues as “normal stuff.” Russell has sought advice from veteran point guards Marcelo Huertas and Jose Calderon on how to run pick-and-roll properly. And the Lakers will try to balance between coaching and empowering him to run the offense as he sees fit.
This isn’t a knock on Russell. Moments like that are understandable especially at this point of the preparations, but the important thing that needs attention here is Russell’s willingness to seek help.
He’ll have a lot of guidance this time coming from Walton and his veteran teammates, enough to make fans of the Purple and Gold look forward to more exciting days, probably led by D’Angelo Russell.
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