Predictably, Golden State Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell will need some time and more reps to get acclimated with the system in the Bay Area. Russell had a relatively underwhelming preseason, but capped it off with a stellar 29-point outing in the team's finale against the Los Angeles Lakers last night.
As Anthony Slater of The Athletic detailed, a lot of Russell's struggles in preseason came from the defensive side of the ball:
But that first quarter only shoveled a bit more defensive concern on the preseason pile. The Warriors ended it with a 106.8 defensive rating in the five games. Blame is spread in multiple places. Their rebounding problems can be pinned to their lack of healthy centers. But Russell’s individual defensive rating flashes like a blinking light.
In his 99 minutes, the Warriors had a 118.8 defensive rating. They were outscored by 49 points. Russell was fine offensively. He had 29 points in the finale, including a fourth-quarter surge that broke it open. That -49 is deceivingly loud. But it was hard to miss the several times the past couple weeks he was burned on the perimeter. He acknowledged it.
Yikes.
A good takeaway from this is that Russell seems well aware of his shortcomings on defense.
“There are a lot of things on the defensive end I can get better at,” Russell said. “Figuring out the coverages we’re in, getting accustomed to those things. It’s easy to make shots in this league, but it’s about doing other things.”
Russell has always been considered a below-average NBA defender. He gets beaten on the perimeter often and allows other guys to get past him.
While the one-time All-Star may never become an elite defender, he still has the size and the length to become a pretty solid NBA defender. Russell dropped some weight over the summer. The lighter and leaner frame should help him move his feet better and quicken his lateral quickness when defending on the perimeter.
D'Lo has been expressive about his desire to learn from his championship-caliber teammates. Perhaps Russell should spend more time with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, both elite defensive players for the Dubs.
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