Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell struggles to find footing early
SACRAMENTO — Death, taxes and NBA rookies struggling to make a serious impact. Those are the unavoidables in life.
Sure, there are exceptions to the last rule, but LeBron James and Magic Johnson are few and far between. So that Los Angeles Lakers-driven talk about No. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell pushing his new team toward a possible playoff berth should probably cease. His focus should be much more short-sighted: Get better every day.
As Russell headed for the team bus late Friday night, the Lakers having been blasted 132-114 by the Sacramento Kings in his second regular-season game, I had a chance to get his perspective on the concept of internal expectations and whether they help. Specifically, Lakers president of basketball operations Jim Buss spoke at length in a recent interview with Paste BN Sports about Russell’s immense importance and how he was a major reason the part-owner believed they had "turned the corner."
"I'm glad (Buss) has that trust in me, because I know I’m going to keep working," Russell said. "What happens with the hard work and the results is something I can’t control, so I’m just going to keep working and try to be the best I can be."
There was no verdict to be had here, but Russell is making it quite clear he sees his challenge as a very different one from the Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor types in his class. Behold the elephant in the Lakers room: Having Kobe Bryant as a mentor — not to mention sharing the ball with Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Lou Williams, et. al. — may not be easy.
"I'm in a different position from everybody, just learning from a great group of vets," Russell said. "I would say (the early NBA days are) tougher (than I expected) because these are guys who get paid to do what they do best. ... I don’t know what I do best yet. I’m still trying to figure that out."
As stat lines go, Russel’s second game (13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, two assists, one turnover) was better than his first (four points on 2-of-7 shooting, two assists, three turnovers in a loss to Minnesota on Wednesday). It was ugly for all involved, though, and Russel’s outing was as bad as anyone’s considering the defensive part he played in Rajon Rondo’s unexpected breakout game (21 points, eight assists).
For the purposes of the big picture, though, Bryant’s postgame analysis struck all the right chords in terms of the proper approach going forward. He talked about the need to let Russell run the team, no matter how much he might struggle at times. That requires, of course, Bryant resist that eternal urge to take over games in the way he has for 20 years.
After missing 16 of 24 shots against the Timberwolves in the opener, Bryant shot just 12 times (making five) while playing 22 minutes and finishing with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
"Let him call the game," Bryant said of Russell. "Let him organize the game. Let him read the flow. Let him make those decisions, which is part of me taking a step back — which needs to be done, right? You have to let the young guys make those reads and be able to help them and support them. ... You’ve got to let them develop, man. It’s difficult, (but) it has to be done."
There was unmistakable irony in Russell getting roasted by Rondo. The Lakers had looked destined to add Rondo via free agency last summer as a veteran piece to put alongside Bryant. But they wisely went for the youth movement instead, grabbing Russell out of Ohio State when so many people expected them to take Okafor and unofficially ending any thought of Rondo in a Lakers uniform.
"It was a good learning experience," Bryant said of Russell’s night against Rondo. "Rondo is an animal, man. It’s a tough matchup for anybody, but it’s good for him to match up against Rondo. It’s one thing to see him on TV. It’s another thing to be against him and see his speed and his tempo. It was a great opportunity for him to learn. He’ll have more opportunities and be able to make mistakes."
A Lakers playoff push be darned.
Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @sam_amick.