D’Angelo Russell, last summer’s 2nd overall pick, didn’t look the same in his first NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers as he did in college. He struggled to score the ball and didn’t have as many assists as he would’ve liked. Why? Well, that may have been because of Kobe Bryant.
“We’re all about playing together now,” he says. “It’s not about one guy anymore. It’s about sacrificing for the team.” Adds Russell, “Kobe deserved every bit of attention he got in his last year, but there’s freedom in Kobe not being around.” There’s also a leadership vacuum that they plan to fill as a unit. “There’s no one leader, no face of the Lakers,” Russell says, citing the Spurs as the template. “When we traveled to San Antonio last season, I noticed that it’s about everybody-they had all those household names, but the 15th guy got the same amount of attention asTim Duncan, who’s a legend. I feel like we’re all buying into that concept. We’re a team now. And that’s exciting.”
D’Angelo definitely played better without Bryant on the court last year. He averaged 18.7 points and 4.7 assists per 36 minutes without Bryant, and 14.6 points and 3.6 assists with Bryant according to Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer. Russell was obviously a better player without Bryant, but you can’t blame Kobe. It was his final season, and he definitely went out right. Would you have rather watched D’Angelo Russell play or Kobe score 60 points in his final game? I’d surely choose Kobe.