D’Angelo Russell’s first season in the NBA was hectic to say the least. The second overall pick in the 2015 draft dealt with inconsistent play, a hostile head coach Byron Scott, and most notably an incident towards the end of the year when a video he recorded of Nick Young talking about cheating on his fiancee was leaked on the internet.
Russell rebounded nicely in the offseason, however, from an excellent summer league performance to an already-strong bond with new head coach Luke Walton to routine workouts with fellow young Lakers players.
The sophomore point guard looks much more comfortable heading into this season, and his teammates both old and new have taken notice. Several Lakers venterans complemented Russell during Lakers Media Day on Monday and predicted big things for him in the near future.
Luol Deng:
Deng on a potential breakout season for @dloading: “He’s put in the work. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.”
— Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) September 26, 2016
Lou Williams:
Lou Williams on D’Angelo/Clarkson: “They’re the stars of the team.”
— Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) September 26, 2016
Timofey Mozgov (speaking not only about Russell but about the other young Lakers as well):
Timofey Mozgov on Lakers’ young core: “I think they can change the world. They’re all young and talented.”
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 26, 2016
Russell returned the good vibes, videobombing the big man’s interview with Spectrum SportsNet:
D’Angelo is Timo’s biggest fan. #ShootIt pic.twitter.com/k1t1TSTBYC
— Grant Goldberg (@grantgoldberg) September 26, 2016
As for Young, who remarkably finds himself still on the team despite his very public spat with Russell, he had this to say to reporters when asked if he still had a grudge against his young teammate:
“I’m a team player. All that stuff off the court, put it in the past”- Nick Young
— Silver Screen & Roll (@LakersSBN) September 26, 2016
Lakers head coach Luke Walton also assured reporters that he hadn’t seen any dispute between Young and Russell so far:
Luke on D’Angelo/Nick Young: “From what I understand, they’ve moved on.”
— Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) September 26, 2016
The praise for Russell, combined with his eagerness to get to work with his new coaching staff, bodes very well for his second year in the NBA. Maybe he is the next great Lakers star after all.
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