Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell is very much looking forward to being teammates with Kobe Bryant. This much we know, even despite Russell’s recent praise for another all-time great, which elicited a funny response from Kobe.
Drafting Russell no. 2 overall in this year’s draft came as a surprise to many, as the Lakers were believed to have their sights set on Jahlil Okafor in an effort to rekindle the great tradition of Laker big men. Instead, they went with Russell, who has the challenge of invigorating a dynamic Laker back court for the future.
Before throwing out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium recently, Russell spoke with Serena Winters of Lakers Nation about his understanding of and relation to Kobe’s mentality:
“I always preach, I didn’t get here from being the most athletic guy, the fastest guy, the tallest guy, or the strongest, I got here from my mind.”
And, that’s also what he respects so much about Kobe Bryant.
“That’s something when I watch Kobe interviews or listen to Kobe talk, he’s mentally on another level, when I listen to him, I relate to that.”
Russell makes a good point about his own journey. He’s not a player that wows you with extreme abilities other than a pure and natural feel for the game. Kobe, on the other hand, was once referred to as a “Slam Dunk Giant”.
But Russell still relates to Kobe in the sense of his mentality, where nothing and no one can tell him he can’t accomplish something. That’s surely the kind of mentality Russell needs as a rookie guard in the NBA, but also as Kobe’s teammate. There’s a significant learning curve to both of those roles. Russell has the game and the intangibles to be a fine player. He’ll need every bit of mental fortitude he can muster to progress himself into an elite guard at this level.
