Russell, Ingram, Randle Show Skills in Team USA Scrimmages

With Summer League now over for the Lakers, a trio of their young core is focused on a different challenge. D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, and Julius Randle are all members of the Team USA Select Team, designated practice partners for the squad that will be facing off against the rest of the world in Rio.

On Monday, the three young Lakers joined the rest of the Team USA members for the first practice of the season. Fortunately, plenty of media members were around to give us a glimpse at the Purple and Gold’s future donning the Red, White, and Blue.

First, the three Lakers were placed on the same team during a scrimmage early in the morning. They held their own, with Ingram scoring from behind the arc and using his length defensively, Russell setting up the offense and finishing at the rim, and Randle continuing his usual rebounding effort. The video of that scrimmage, via Periscope, can be seen here.

Later in the day, we saw glimpses of the young core warming up and playing a little one-on-one with other Team USA stars.

D’Angelo Russell battled with recent NBA champion and Kobe-FaceTimer Kyrie Irving and more than held his own.

First, Russell used his size to back Kyrie down in the post, something we will likely see plenty of this season:

He did a little bit of the same against Kyle Lowry:

Later, the Lakers point guard showed off his shooting, hitting step-backs over Kyrie and Harrison Barnes, as well as his own teammate in Julius Randle:

Brandon Ingram showed off his shooting, as well, hitting a smooth jumper from the top of the key:

Julius Randle, meanwhile, gave us a glimpse of his own improvements, which we have been unable to see so far during the summer.

Randle, at least in one instance, displayed some range, hitting a three. Take note that his form looks at least a little better (I’m not an expert) and he is now releasing the ball on the way up:

Much like Russell, Randle also did some work in the post, first by bullying his own teammate, then by hitting a nice turnaround jumper on Jabari Parker:

Obviously, these are just a few glimpses at a glorified practice. But seeing the Lakers young guys working hard and showcasing a bit of their development against other high-level NBA players is promising to say the least.

The NBA season can’t come soon enough, but for now we have grainy cell phone footage to look forward to.

2 thoughts

  1. Pingback: Kevin Durant, Coach K praise Brandon Ingram at Team USA camp – Lakers Outsiders
  2. Pingback: Mitch Kupchak pleased with Lakers’ performances in Summer League, Team USA Camp – Lakers Outsiders

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