D’Angelo Russell’s rookie year was a bit of a mixed bag. His talent was clear, but he also struggled at times. Plus, there was the whole Nick Young incident, which was a major distraction from his on-court production. Rob Perez of Fox Sports interviewed Russell. The full interview can be heard below.
When Perez asked Russell about his rookie season, Russell said:
If it was bad … or whatever it was … It was bad. It wasn’t the best rookie year. But, I had some big learning experience from it and coming into this year — I’m beyond excited.
I’m not sure that I completely agree with Russell. I don’t think I’d call his rookie season “bad.” He averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting .410/.351/.737. Now, those aren’t amazing numbers, but they weren’t awful for a 19-year-old playing at a new level of competition. Now, can Russell do better than he did last year? Of course he can; there’s a reason he was selected second overall in the 2015 draft. Russell probably means that his rookie season was bad by his standards, and that is perfectly fine. Players should hold themselves to a very high standard if they hope to succeed.
