D'Angelo Russell: More Ball Movement Without Kobe Bryant

Post #1 » by **RealGM Wiretap** » Tue Dec 8, 2015 5:18 pm

D'Angelo Russell was disappointed about being taken out of the starting lineup but he found more freedom playing without Kobe Bryant.

“You’ve got to be more aggressive," Russell said about being with the second unit.

“There’s just more ball movement,” said Russell. “No disrespect to Kobe, but you just know you have more opportunity because he’s who he is.”

Russell had nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.

Byron Scott admitted that Russell and Julius Randle not playing alongside Bryant meant they didn’t “defer as much” to Bryant, a volume shooter.

“When KB is out there, they seem to defer a little bit more to him,” Scott said. “I thought tonight they played a little bit more free. They still made mistakes, but they’re going to make mistakes. They’re young. But I want them to continue to play as hard as they played tonight.”

Via Baxter Holmes/ESPN

iMoreland · Post #2 » by **iMoreland** » Tue Dec 8, 2015 6:31 pm

No crap

miltk · Post #3 » by **miltk** » Tue Dec 8, 2015 6:39 pm

is that the brilliant basketball mind that lal drafted?

hyberx · Post #4 » by **hyberx** » Tue Dec 8, 2015 7:44 pm

By deferring to Kobe, you mean somebody is not sharing the ball even he is leading the team in worst FG% and efficiency and about to retire without giving a damn about his team?

Nice move by Byron Scott to demote the two most prized rookies they have on the team. You can't demote Kobe, so you demote the two so that they get to play a bit more team ball. :lol:

nshidbaby · Post #5 » by **nshidbaby** » Tue Dec 8, 2015 10:50 pm

Kobe is not keeping the Lakers from winning. Truth be told, the Lakers haven't won a single game without Kobe this season.

Young guys should stop making excuses and just go out there and play.

Pickled Prunes · Post #6 » by **Pickled Prunes** » Wed Dec 9, 2015 3:05 am

The sad part is that he could still be dangerous as a play-maker. He still has handles and guys are open.

N3LL · Post #7 » by **N3LL** » Wed Dec 9, 2015 12:59 pm

nshidbaby wrote:Kobe is not keeping the Lakers from winning. Truth be told, the Lakers haven't won a single game without Kobe this season.

Young guys should stop making excuses and just go out there and play.

So shooting 30% from the field, and 20% from three while taking nearly 20 shots a game while playing zero defense isn't keeping the team from winning? Alrighty then.

MitchB3 · Post #8 » by **MitchB3** » Wed Dec 9, 2015 5:39 pm

hyberx wrote:By deferring to Kobe, you mean somebody is not sharing the ball even he is leading the team in worst FG% and efficiency and about to retire without giving a damn about his team?

Nice move by Byron Scott to demote the two most prized rookies they have on the team. You can't demote Kobe, so you demote the two so that they get to play a bit more team ball.

I would have to respectively disagree. Kobe was never supposed to be a SF that's for starters, and second both "rookies" have nothing on their NBA resume to say they deserve to be starting in the first place.

nshidbaby · Post #9 » by **nshidbaby** » Wed Dec 9, 2015 6:11 pm

N3LL wrote:
nshidbaby wrote:Kobe is not keeping the Lakers from winning. Truth be told, the Lakers haven't won a single game without Kobe this season.

Young guys should stop making excuses and just go out there and play.

So shooting 30% from the field, and 20% from three while taking nearly 20 shots a game while playing zero defense isn't keeping the team from winning? Alrighty then.

Kobe just came off of three major injuries at his age and is EXPECTED to play this way coming out the gate. Also, I'm a big believer in old-school smash-mouth basketball. Stat-speak doesn't mean anything if you're not talking about wins.

Kobe wins, good shooting game or not. Young guys should learn from Kobe; shooting and defensive stats are good...but winning is BETTER.

my2bits · Post #10 » by **my2bits** » Wed Dec 9, 2015 8:25 pm

D'angelo needs to stop playing like a bitch and start driving to the rim. He has ,what? One dunk in 20 plus games? No and ones? His great vision is wasted if he refuses to attack the lane. I expect confidence and aggression from a #2 overall pick. Mudiaye can't shoot but he is aggressive and is making progress. Russell appears to be going through the motions.