Los Angeles Lakers second year point guard D’Angelo Russell has a ton of expectations on him. Coming off a less than stellar rookie campaign, one that Russell say was hampered by a lack of guidance, all eyes are on him going forward. No more Kobe Bryant, no more Byron Scott and the training wheels are off. It’s time for D’Angelo to take control of the Lakers.
Although many appear ready to anoint Russell as the next great Lakers hope, Russell himself is not quite ready to declare that for himself. The often humble guard might have ice in his veins but does he have the mindset of a franchise star? Not yet, but he does say that role of the franchise star comes to you when the time is right.
Following from Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders.
Even though it seems that the Lakers are building around him and preparing him to be the organization’s cornerstone, Russell is staying humble and focused on becoming even more of a team player. When asked if he sees himself as a franchise player, Russell avoided anointing himself as such.
“That’s something that chooses you, you can’t just go after that,” Russell said of being a franchise player. “You can put those accolades on yourself, but in the long-term that’s something that chooses you. I feel like with this team we have, we’ll be successful. Nobody’s saying, ‘You’re going to be the next Kobe…’ My teammates and I just want to be the best team, and that’s all that matters to me.
“I want to be the best point guard for this team and make sure it’s in a winning fashion. For me, it’s always about winning as a team. I just want to grow and improve, game after game.”
Russell might not be ready to take the reigns as the face of the franchise but there is one role he can take on. Team leader.
Most of the time, the point guard is the general on the floor for any teams offense. Outside of some odd situations, the point guard is the man with the plan and he runs the offense. Everything goes through him and the point guard controls the flow. He’s the leader and that’s exactly how Lakers head coach Luke Walton wants his players to see Russell.
Following from Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding.
“At this level, I don’t really know what it takes to win,” Russell says. “So from a guy who knows what it takes to win, I can’t do anything but sit back and listen.”
He is proud that Walton, from their first time together in offseason workouts, requested Russell’s voice to break the team’s huddles: “This is the point guard! He’s the leader!” Walton bellowed. “When he speaks, guys, you gotta listen.”
“He is a kid,” Walton says of Russell. “A lot of these guys are kids. They went to one year of college and now they live in L.A. and play for the Lakers at 19 years old. It’s crazy to me to think of even trying to succeed under those conditions.
“When I was 19, I was getting ready for my second year of college. I still didn’t even know how to pay my own bills or set up my cable, and these guys are literally playing for the Lakers. So I already have a tremendous amount of respect for these guys that are doing that.”
No matter what the future holds for D’Angelo Russell it’s clear that he and Walton are beginning to build a strong relationship. The duo along with the other young studs in Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr might be leading the Lakers into a new era together.
