[Article] The Ringer: D'Angelo Russell is better than you think he is

[Slava]

He was one of only 18 rookies (age 20 or younger at the end of the season) who have scored at least 20 points per 100 possessions with an assist percentage over 20, per Basketball-Reference. The list includes Hall of Famers: Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas; All-Stars: Stephon Marbury, Gilbert Arenas, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Kyrie Irving; proven veterans: Mike Bibby, Lamar Odom, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, and Brandon Knight; and promising youngsters: Zach LaVine and Emmanuel Mudiay. The Lakers rookie couldn’t have found himself in better company; every player on that list is a successful NBA pro.

Russell even when the ball isn’t in his hands, since he’s capable of morphing into a traditional 2-guard. He knocked down a robust 40.7 percent of his “open” 3s, as defined by SportVU, a stark difference compared to a dismal 16.9 percent on “tightly” contested 3-pointers. Those rates could equalize, but the disparity is noteworthy since some of the mechanical issues he displayed in college — notably, his inconsistent footwork shooting off the catch — still persist in the NBA, which hurts him when he has a hand in his face. But those concerns could be moot if Walton’s Warriors-influenced offense creates more open opportunities when he plays off the ball.

Walton spent his career playing in the triangle offense, elements of which are found in Steve Kerr’s motion-based system. The plays cooked up by Kerr and Walton can be installed in Los Angeles. In watching the inevitable Steph Curry-Kevin Durant pick-and-roll throughout the upcoming season, we might also be watching the basis of the Lakers’ future in Russell and Ingram. When defenses switch on the play, it’ll put a slower defender on Curry and a smaller defender on Durant. Curry will either juke his way into an off-the-dribble 3 or slither into the paint, collapsing the defense. Or Curry will feed Durant, who can brutalize the switch in the post. Russell’s no Curry and Ingram’s no Durant, but their skill sets offer rough approximations. Don’t be surprised to see Walton use his young Lakers like junior Warriors.

Kevin O'Connor | The Ringer

[Doormatt]

my face when brandon jennings is a proven veteran

[Slava]

my face when brandon jennings is a proven veteran

Jennings started out quite well in his rookie year. Its just been downhill for him since then owing mainly to a lack of reliable shot.

[Doormatt]

He's an awful basketball player not only because he lacks a reliable shot, but also because he takes a lot of bad shots. Being undersized does him no justice either. Tyreke Evans who is also on that list had a great rookie year as well, but because he never developed anything beyond a dribble drive game he's become mostly irrelevant.

I'm not sure Dlo is better than people think he is, most people know he's very talented and had a decent rookie season on an awful team. I think most people aren't convinced he can achieve his "potential" due to whatever limiting factors exist (athleticism, work ethic, etc.). I would argue that the best thing about him is the improvement he showed over the course of the season, which should he be able to maintain, will prove the naysayers wrong. I'm not worried about Dlo at all, I'd be more worried about Randle, Clarkson and even Ingram.

[Slava]

He's an awful basketball player not only because he lacks a reliable shot, but also because he takes a lot of bad shots. Being undersized does him no justice either. Tyreke Evans who is also on that list had a great rookie year as well, but because he never developed anything beyond a dribble drive game he's become mostly irrelevant.

I'm not sure Dlo is better than people think he is, most people know he's very talented and had a decent rookie season on an awful team. I think most people aren't convinced he can achieve his "potential" due to whatever limiting factors exist (athleticism, work ethic, etc.). I would argue that the best thing about him is the improvement he showed over the course of the season, which should he be able to maintain, will prove the naysayers wrong. I'm not worried about Dlo at all, I'd be more worried about Randle, Clarkson and even Ingram.

The educated fan obviously doesn't think he is underrated. He has an uncanny ability to find time and space without top speed and he needs little time to release his shots. The casual fan however thinks different and that's who the article was aimed at.

[Wavy Q]

do casual fans even know who Brandon Jennings is lol. He hasnt been relevant in like 2-3 years.

[Kilroy]

My concern with Russell is so far he's found success not being featured on the offense... I'm worried that his seeming lack of a first step is going to hamstring him when Defenses know he's going to be featured. He's developing a great post up game, but I'm not sure Walton is going to want to slow it down enough for him to use it very often.
We have guys who can move the ball right now, but our ability to spread the floor is an unknown...
So while I think he's made a lot of progress this off-season, and I really like what I see so far, I still have my questions about how his game is going to stand up to being one of the starters on the Lakers.

All of which is to say, I don't know how you can say Russell is better than we think he is... I think he's getting a little unwarranted consideration from a lot of fans who are disregarding his weak spots, or down right ignoring them, in their desire to replace Kobe...

I don't think we really know what Russell is or isn't right now. I think he's still figuring it out.

I think it's reasonable to be optimistic based on what we've seen, but it's also reasonable to be a little cautious with the predictions still, as well. This team has a hell of a lot to figure out in training camp.

[Jody Smokz]

Casual fans aren't created equal. I'd classify some of them as fanatics of the game but have 0 knowledge of the actual game itself and strategy and nuances in it. People like this think Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose are still good PGs or that Dwight Howard can't play b/c he doesnt have a Dream like post game.

Then you have the other sect that only knows a handful of stars and no real concept of who is great outside of a few teams they see on natl tv.

do casual fans even know who Brandon Jennings is lol. He hasnt been relevant in like 2-3 years.

[dockingsched]

Want to be impressed but Emmanuel Mudiay is on the same list

[KevinOConnorNBA]

Thanks for posting this, Slava.

my face when brandon jennings is a proven veteran

He's not a good player, but he's not a bust. The point is to say that not a single player from that list was a failure. Jennings and Tyreke Evans are the two worst, but neither are busts. It's a good sign for Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell that they're on the list too.

My concern with Russell is so far he's found success not being featured on the offense... I'm worried that his seeming lack of a first step is going to hamstring him when Defenses know he's going to be featured.

...

I think it's reasonable to be optimistic based on what we've seen, but it's also reasonable to be a little cautious with the predictions still, as well. This team has a hell of a lot to figure out in training camp.

I think that's a fair concern, for sure. But he has skill/feel that most players don't. His lack of an explosive first step (and explosiveness at the rim) could limit his upside though, of course. But he's good enough to be a contributor, at the least, and possibly much, much more.

[warrenpeace]

Russell even when the ball isn’t in his hands, since he’s capable of morphing into a traditional 2-guard. He knocked down a robust 40.7 percent of his “open” 3s, as defined by SportVU, a stark difference compared to a dismal 16.9 percent on “tightly” contested 3-pointers. Those rates could equalize, but the disparity is noteworthy since some of the mechanical issues he displayed in college — notably, his inconsistent footwork shooting off the catch — still persist in the NBA, which hurts him when he has a hand in his face. But those concerns could be moot if Walton’s Warriors-influenced offense creates more open opportunities when he plays off the ball.

This is why I have been saying D'Angelo should be playing shooting guard and Clarkson should be the point guard. Clarkson was a pretty good point guard his rookie year. He did make the first team all rookie team as a point guard. He should have continued playing the point guard position his second year.

I think that D'Angelo is going to be a great shooter. He is just not a very effective as a point guard. If the Lakers think that Clarkson is not the answer to the point position, then they should bring someone else to play it, but keep D'Angelo at shooting guard.

[N3LL]

Russell even when the ball isn’t in his hands, since he’s capable of morphing into a traditional 2-guard. He knocked down a robust 40.7 percent of his “open” 3s, as defined by SportVU, a stark difference compared to a dismal 16.9 percent on “tightly” contested 3-pointers. Those rates could equalize, but the disparity is noteworthy since some of the mechanical issues he displayed in college — notably, his inconsistent footwork shooting off the catch — still persist in the NBA, which hurts him when he has a hand in his face. But those concerns could be moot if Walton’s Warriors-influenced offense creates more open opportunities when he plays off the ball.

This is why I have been saying D'Angelo should be playing shooting guard and Clarkson should be the point guard. Clarkson was a pretty good point guard his rookie year. He did make the first team all rookie team as a point guard. He should have continued playing the point guard position his second year.

I think that D'Angelo is going to be a great shooter. He is just not a very effective as a point guard. If the Lakers think that Clarkson is not the answer to the point position, then they should bring someone else to play it, but keep D'Angelo at shooting guard.

You're saying he won't be an effective point after one year while being on a short leash from Byron Scott? He and JC both out up similar numbers in their rookie campaigns but you said JC was a good point guard while DLO isn't "effective".

[warrenpeace]

Russell even when the ball isn’t in his hands, since he’s capable of morphing into a traditional 2-guard. He knocked down a robust 40.7 percent of his “open” 3s, as defined by SportVU, a stark difference compared to a dismal 16.9 percent on “tightly” contested 3-pointers. Those rates could equalize, but the disparity is noteworthy since some of the mechanical issues he displayed in college — notably, his inconsistent footwork shooting off the catch — still persist in the NBA, which hurts him when he has a hand in his face. But those concerns could be moot if Walton’s Warriors-influenced offense creates more open opportunities when he plays off the ball.

This is why I have been saying D'Angelo should be playing shooting guard and Clarkson should be the point guard. Clarkson was a pretty good point guard his rookie year. He did make the first team all rookie team as a point guard. He should have continued playing the point guard position his second year.

I think that D'Angelo is going to be a great shooter. He is just not a very effective as a point guard. If the Lakers think that Clarkson is not the answer to the point position, then they should bring someone else to play it, but keep D'Angelo at shooting guard.

You're saying he won't be an effective point after one year while being on a short leash from Byron Scott? He and JC both out up similar numbers in their rookie campaigns but you said JC was a good point guard while DLO isn't "effective".

Clarkson played point guard in College. D'Angelo has said on many occasion, that he has never played point guard before. As a talented, special player that D'Angelo obviously is, if he never played point guard before, it's probable because he either didn't want to play it or he couldn't pay it. I can't see D'Angelo wanting the play the point, and a coach who is recruiting him, telling him no.

[dockingsched]

This is why I have been saying D'Angelo should be playing shooting guard and Clarkson should be the point guard. Clarkson was a pretty good point guard his rookie year. He did make the first team all rookie team as a point guard. He should have continued playing the point guard position his second year.

I think that D'Angelo is going to be a great shooter. He is just not a very effective as a point guard. If the Lakers think that Clarkson is not the answer to the point position, then they should bring someone else to play it, but keep D'Angelo at shooting guard.

You're saying he won't be an effective point after one year while being on a short leash from Byron Scott? He and JC both out up similar numbers in their rookie campaigns but you said JC was a good point guard while DLO isn't "effective".

Clarkson played point guard in College. D'Angelo has said on many occasion, that he has never played point guard before. As a talented, special player that D'Angelo obviously is, if he never played point guard before, it's probable because he either didn't want to play it or he couldn't pay it. I can't see D'Angelo wanting the play the point, and a coach who is recruiting him, telling him no.

Or may be he's always been the most talented scorer on his team's so slotting him as a traditional point guard made no sense. There's plenty of reasons besides the two you listed for him not having true point guard experience.

[Kilroy]

Thanks for posting this, Slava.

my face when brandon jennings is a proven veteran

He's not a good player, but he's not a bust. The point is to say that not a single player from that list was a failure. Jennings and Tyreke Evans are the two worst, but neither are busts. It's a good sign for Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell that they're on the list too.

My concern with Russell is so far he's found success not being featured on the offense... I'm worried that his seeming lack of a first step is going to hamstring him when Defenses know he's going to be featured.

...

I think it's reasonable to be optimistic based on what we've seen, but it's also reasonable to be a little cautious with the predictions still, as well. This team has a hell of a lot to figure out in training camp.

I think that's a fair concern, for sure. But he has skill/feel that most players don't. His lack of an explosive first step (and explosiveness at the rim) could limit his upside though, of course. But he's good enough to be a contributor, at the least, and possibly much, much more.

Yeah, I had his craftiness in mind when I posted that... It's what's impressed me and seems to have impressed team USA.
But a couple thoughts on that... Being 'crafty' burns shot clock... If Walton is going to push a GSW style offense, Russell isn't going to have much time to work. Same for his post ups...
And, he's using craftiness to cover for his athletic limitations... But he's 20... How long is that going to work for?

But like I said, he's looking real good. I just think he's not really looking quite as good as fans 'think he does' so I don't necessarily agree with the article... Then again, there are a lot of fans around the league who think he's a guaranteed bust, if for no other reason than he's a Laker... In that case the article is on the money. My comments were more about what I see in the average Laker fan.

[Jody Smokz]

I've seen more Laker fans that said he was a bust or will be this past year than non LA fans. Guys are still wishing they had Okafor lol

[dockingsched]

At his age, Russell already having the "craftiness" to cover for some perceived athletic short comings is quite encouraging. like Ingram, Russell was one of the most physically immature rookies in his class. When his body fills out and some of that athleticism catches up to his ever improving "craftiness", he's going to be quite the player.

[Inglewood Rams]

Want to be impressed but Emmanuel Mudiay is on the same list

This. That being siad, I think DLO will be an all-star in 3 years.

[BEazy]

I still don't understand the hate on this kid, especially by Lakers fans. Dude may not be a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, CP3, etc, but I feel D'Lo is going to make that list very soon. I'm very confident D'Lo will be one of the premier players that the NBA uses to market. All I've seen from him is practicing and putting in work in the weight room. What else can you ask for?

I have a feeling if fans in LA keep this heckling taunting **** up he's gonna bolt as soon as his rookie contract is up.

[warrenpeace]

You're saying he won't be an effective point after one year while being on a short leash from Byron Scott? He and JC both out up similar numbers in their rookie campaigns but you said JC was a good point guard while DLO isn't "effective".

Clarkson played point guard in College. D'Angelo has said on many occasion, that he has never played point guard before. As a talented, special player that D'Angelo obviously is, if he never played point guard before, it's probable because he either didn't want to play it or he couldn't pay it. I can't see D'Angelo wanting the play the point, and a coach who is recruiting him, telling him no.

Or may be he's always been the most talented scorer on his team's so slotting him as a traditional point guard made no sense. There's plenty of reasons besides the two you listed for him not having true point guard experience.

Lots of point guard in high school and college are/were the most talented scorer on their teams. Any great point guard in the NBA was most likely the most talented scorer on his high school and college team. You can be the most talented scorer on your team and still be a traditional point guard. They are not mutually exclusive.