Official D'Angelo Russell Thread

[NyCeEvO]

Angelo Russell's bad defense will be a big problem to nets , he better be the 6th man and play only 15 mins before he improve defense...

Can players improve on defense, especially 21 year old players? Yes, it happens all of the time.

Your 2nd video points to the Lakers being a terrible defensive team. Could it be that the coaches he had didn't push his players nor teach them how to play defense at this level? Byron Scott was committed to a tank job and didn't care about winning.

Your first two posts on your RealGM account are about Russell being a 15min player and trolling him by removing the "D" from his first name.

Let's provide more substantive critical assessments of Russell or not comment at all.

[antique0o0]

Watched several highlights of him, his shot selection seems like a problem. He chose his shot like Curry. But he's not Curry. Reminds me of Nick Young...

It is a problem for sure but it's a problem that LAL had before Russell's arrival. At the end of Kobe's run, they weren't playing good team basketball. Byron Scott did more chastising in public than positive coaching, stood by while "inmates ran the asylum" and complained that there is no order while he was the one in charge. I don't think a careless gunner mentality is ingrained in him.

I expect Kenny to do a ton of guiding which will in turn lead to Russell showing a bit more restraint and being more judicious with the ball in his hands.

I don't think he is as off from being a good player as some. A few tweaks to his game here and there and a slight increase in athleticism would make him quite dangerous IMO.

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Kobe and Byron Scott's tanking surely has bad influence over young players. However Russell's shot selection has something to do with his playing style. He isn't a particularly quick guard and he is not good at crossing over, leading to him forcing shots.
If he could improve his percentage, that will be OK. Difficult.

At defensive end, some team defense might help hiding his weakness, or might not.
But I doubt he could increase his athleticism, especially his explosiveness. That's basically wrote in the genes. Training and practicing won't help much.

[NyCeEvO]

Watched several highlights of him, his shot selection seems like a problem. He chose his shot like Curry. But he's not Curry. Reminds me of Nick Young...

It is a problem for sure but it's a problem that LAL had before Russell's arrival. At the end of Kobe's run, they weren't playing good team basketball. Byron Scott did more chastising in public than positive coaching, stood by while "inmates ran the asylum" and complained that there is no order while he was the one in charge. I don't think a careless gunner mentality is ingrained in him.

I expect Kenny to do a ton of guiding which will in turn lead to Russell showing a bit more restraint and being more judicious with the ball in his hands.

I don't think he is as off from being a good player as some. A few tweaks to his game here and there and a slight increase in athleticism would make him quite dangerous IMO.

Sent from my SM-N900T using RealGM mobile app

Kobe and Byron Scott's tanking surely has bad influence over young players. However Russell's shot selection has something to do with his playing style. He isn't a particularly quick guard and he is not good at crossing over, leading to him forcing shots.
If he could improve his percentage, that will be OK. Difficult.

Go back and look at clips of him at OSU. He showed way more poise and discretion under Thad Matta. As a rookie, you'd hope to come in and learn how to play at the NBA level. Russell came into the league and the only thing Byron cared about what was making sure Kobe went out in style.

I don't want all of his quick trigger-ness to leave because it can be good when used with a bit more restraint and discipline. I think Kenny will push him to find the right balance.

At defensive end, some team defense might help hiding his weakness, or might not.
But I doubt he could increase his athleticism, especially his explosiveness. That's basically wrote in the genes. Training and practicing won't help much.

I disagree with this wholeheartedly.

There are countless drills and exercises specifically for increasing your speed, explosiveness, and agility. No one is saying that you'll become John Wall but you can definitely become faster, stronger, and more explosive.

Heck, there are guys who rehab from injuries who are actually more explosive post-operation than pre-op because they never focused on building up strength for their now injured muscle prior to the injury.

I've even done this stuff and have seen the improvements.

[MrDollarBills]

I take solace in knowing just how good this kid is and can be by the fact that we have multiple highly insecure Lin trolls pissing their panties on a public forum trying to discredit him.



D'Angelo Russell is triggering you dudes, and I am loving every second of it. Lord help you all when this kid drops a 40 point bomb sometime this season, your brains might just shut down from despair. Your anxiety and panic amuses me to no end.

[MrDollarBills]

Watched several highlights of him, his shot selection seems like a problem. He chose his shot like Curry. But he's not Curry. Reminds me of Nick Young...

It is a problem for sure but it's a problem that LAL had before Russell's arrival. At the end of Kobe's run, they weren't playing good team basketball. Byron Scott did more chastising in public than positive coaching, stood by while "inmates ran the asylum" and complained that there is no order while he was the one in charge. I don't think a careless gunner mentality is ingrained in him.

I expect Kenny to do a ton of guiding which will in turn lead to Russell showing a bit more restraint and being more judicious with the ball in his hands.

I don't think he is as off from being a good player as some. A few tweaks to his game here and there and a slight increase in athleticism would make him quite dangerous IMO.

Sent from my SM-N900T using RealGM mobile app

Kobe and Byron Scott's tanking surely has bad influence over young players. However Russell's shot selection has something to do with his playing style. He isn't a particularly quick guard and he is not good at crossing over, leading to him forcing shots.
If he could improve his percentage, that will be OK. Difficult.

At defensive end, some team defense might help hiding his weakness, or might not.
But I doubt he could increase his athleticism, especially his explosiveness. That's basically wrote in the genes. Training and practicing won't help much.

Kobe Bryant started off as a horrible defender. Through years of hard work and effort, he became an elite defender. Saying that someone cannot improve in any aspect of the sport, especially at the age of 21 is short sighted.

[Roy Tarpley]

I have no problems with people voicing their concerns about Russell, whether it's character or defense. Or people offering mitigating counterarguments (e.g., he's only 21 or the entire Lakers' defense was bad). But the troll-level comments, like saying Russell will be out of the NBA within 3 years, need to go.

[MrDollarBills]

I have no problems with people voicing their concerns about Russell, whether it's character or defense. Or people offering mitigating counterarguments (e.g., he's only 21 or the entire Lakers' defense was bad). But the troll-level comments, like saying Russell will be out of the NBA within 3 years, need to go.

^this.

[J_LA]

Anyone here who had a problem with anything he said in the presser is looking for a reason not to like him.
Also, if your'e hating on the move because your'e a Lin fan something might be wrong with you.

[CalamityX12]

werent you saying that about brook last offseason?

yes

and our rebounding was one of our glaring weaknesses from it.

Brook shooting threes had nothing to do with how horrible we were on the defensive glass.

make or not make, our biggest big constantly pulled away from the paint had a influence in our rebounding woes.

now i see u typed defensive... mmmmmmmmmmmm whatever lol

[Paradise]

I have no problems with people voicing their concerns about Russell, whether it's character or defense. Or people offering mitigating counterarguments (e.g., he's only 21 or the entire Lakers' defense was bad). But the troll-level comments, like saying Russell will be out of the NBA within 3 years, need to go.

We've endured as a board a ton of ugly losses, embarrassing trades, etc. We don't need that kind of negativity. Most of us are just happy to be able to build a program around a legitimate young talent.




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[13th Man]

Angelo Russell's bad defense will be a big problem to nets , he better be the 6th man and play only 15 mins before he improve defense...

Man, I hate "new" posters that storm in with troll posts.

[Paradise]

Read on Twitter

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[13th Man]

I have no problems with people voicing their concerns about Russell, whether it's character or defense. Or people offering mitigating counterarguments (e.g., he's only 21 or the entire Lakers' defense was bad). But the troll-level comments, like saying Russell will be out of the NBA within 3 years, need to go.

We've endured as a board a ton of ugly losses, embarrassing trades, etc. We don't need that kind of negativity. Most of us are just happy to be able to build a program around a legitimate young talent.




Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Russell isn't without flaws, both in character and in skill. What we're hoping is that he gets to improve in both areas in this environment and I genuinely believe that he will.

I agree that we should give him a clean slate and give him a fair chance, afterall he's going to be here for awhile and is the future of this team.

[Keith Van Horn]

Bill Simmons actually said nice things about the Russell trade in his podcast last week. That's how you know it's perceived around the league as a good move, b/c that clown (who I used to really enjoy reading his work) is always looking to throw shade at the Nets.

[Paradise]

I have no problems with people voicing their concerns about Russell, whether it's character or defense. Or people offering mitigating counterarguments (e.g., he's only 21 or the entire Lakers' defense was bad). But the troll-level comments, like saying Russell will be out of the NBA within 3 years, need to go.

We've endured as a board a ton of ugly losses, embarrassing trades, etc. We don't need that kind of negativity. Most of us are just happy to be able to build a program around a legitimate young talent.




Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Russell isn't without flaws, both in character and in skill. What we're hoping is that he gets to improve in both areas in this environment and I genuinely believe that he will.

I agree that we should give him a clean slate and give him a fair chance, afterall he's going to be here for awhile and is the future of this team.

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


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[antique0o0]

Go back and look at clips of him at OSU. He showed way more poise and discretion under Thad Matta. As a rookie, you'd hope to come in and learn how to play at the NBA level. Russell came into the league and the only thing Byron cared about what was making sure Kobe went out in style.

I don't want all of his quick trigger-ness to leave because it can be good when used with a bit more restraint and discipline. I think Kenny will push him to find the right balance.

After watched his highlights from college, I'd say after he was drafted into the NBA, his defender are bigger and quicker, he lost his reletive quickness. And his shot selection basically the same. Back then he already chose to shoot over a lot of guys. I guess the difference is the percentage he made it.

I disagree with this wholeheartedly.

There are countless drills and exercises specifically for increasing your speed, explosiveness, and agility. No one is saying that you'll become John Wall but you can definitely become faster, stronger, and more explosive.

Heck, there are guys who rehab from injuries who are actually more explosive post-operation than pre-op because they never focused on building up strength for their now injured muscle prior to the injury.

I've even done this stuff and have seen the improvements.

Anybody can become slightly quicker, slightly more explosive through training and practicing, the problem is by how much?

Let's comparing LeVert and Russell. LeVert was drafted into the league one year later than Russell, and his strength isn't in his advantages, but you can see his quickness is there, which can't be found on Russell. Their reaction time and muscle type aren't the same.
I don't think Russell could improve his quickness much through training, just like I don't think Kawhi Leonard could improve his quickness much.

LeVert and Russell doing the same move in the following video, see the difference?

Watch on YouTube

[Antti22]

You got a guy here that in his second year as a 20/21 year old kid averaged 15ppg 5ast, I dont think you can question his skills and talent. At the moment he is on a superstar trajectory with his learning curve.

I hope for the sake of the Nets that he is due for his third year "breakout", and I truly believe he is!

[TinmanZBoy]

It is a problem for sure but it's a problem that LAL had before Russell's arrival. At the end of Kobe's run, they weren't playing good team basketball. Byron Scott did more chastising in public than positive coaching, stood by while "inmates ran the asylum" and complained that there is no order while he was the one in charge. I don't think a careless gunner mentality is ingrained in him.

I expect Kenny to do a ton of guiding which will in turn lead to Russell showing a bit more restraint and being more judicious with the ball in his hands.

I don't think he is as off from being a good player as some. A few tweaks to his game here and there and a slight increase in athleticism would make him quite dangerous IMO.

Sent from my SM-N900T using RealGM mobile app

Kobe and Byron Scott's tanking surely has bad influence over young players. However Russell's shot selection has something to do with his playing style. He isn't a particularly quick guard and he is not good at crossing over, leading to him forcing shots.
If he could improve his percentage, that will be OK. Difficult.

At defensive end, some team defense might help hiding his weakness, or might not.
But I doubt he could increase his athleticism, especially his explosiveness. That's basically wrote in the genes. Training and practicing won't help much.

Kobe Bryant started off as a horrible defender. Through years of hard work and effort, he became an elite defender. Saying that someone cannot improve in any aspect of the sport, especially at the age of 21 is short sighted.

Kobe's defense is very overrated, particularly if you put his in a modern defensive scheme of NBA... he might be a lock-down individual defender, but he has so many flaws as a team defender...
amony all laker's young guys, Russell and Ingram relatively have better feels for the game, Russell's shot selection was fine and I am pretty sure he will get better.... what everyone needs to worry about Russell is his defense and his effort level on that end, a related question is if he hustles hard on defense, can he maintain his offense in high efficiency

[MrDollarBills]

We've endured as a board a ton of ugly losses, embarrassing trades, etc. We don't need that kind of negativity. Most of us are just happy to be able to build a program around a legitimate young talent.




Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Russell isn't without flaws, both in character and in skill. What we're hoping is that he gets to improve in both areas in this environment and I genuinely believe that he will.

I agree that we should give him a clean slate and give him a fair chance, afterall he's going to be here for awhile and is the future of this team.

He deserves more than a fair chance but we need to stop acting like he's some juvenile delinquent or ex-con. The only flaws I care for us to fix is on the court stuff like his efficiency and defense. He's a kid that will learn about life which will make him mature on his own time off the court. My experiences at 21 forced me to grow up faster.

It's a little annoying reading these posts all over about his character being poor when this is the same franchise that had a guy by the name of J-Kidd who used to beat his wife. He wasn't 21 either.

Lance Stephenson didn't even get nearly this much attention for pushing his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs before his rookie season. He apologized and suddenly all is forgotten. Stephenson was supposedly an awful locker room cancer after the Pacers traded for Evan Turner. Yet, he was brought back to Indiana.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah. Dude recorded a known moron bragging about cheating on his girlfriend and stupidly uploaded it. Immature and foolish, but not a criminal act.

Guys put more stock into him being a snitch than the actions of a man who slapped his wife in the face in front of his child. That speaks volumes to me.

This kid gets a clean slate here...for every post I read about his "poor character" I cringe. He's not a criminal, nor should he be treated like one.

[MrDollarBills]

Kobe and Byron Scott's tanking surely has bad influence over young players. However Russell's shot selection has something to do with his playing style. He isn't a particularly quick guard and he is not good at crossing over, leading to him forcing shots.
If he could improve his percentage, that will be OK. Difficult.

At defensive end, some team defense might help hiding his weakness, or might not.
But I doubt he could increase his athleticism, especially his explosiveness. That's basically wrote in the genes. Training and practicing won't help much.

Kobe Bryant started off as a horrible defender. Through years of hard work and effort, he became an elite defender. Saying that someone cannot improve in any aspect of the sport, especially at the age of 21 is short sighted.

Kobe's defense is very overrated, particularly if you put his in a modern defensive scheme of NBA... he might be a lock-down individual defender, but he has so many flaws as a team defender...
amony all laker's young guys, Russell and Ingram relatively have better feels for the game, Russell's shot selection was fine and I am pretty sure he will get better.... what everyone needs to worry about Russell is his defense and his effort level on that end, a related question is if he hustles hard on defense, can he maintain his offense in high efficiency

I believe that defense is 90% effort and desire honestly.