Once the Los Angeles Lakers drafted D’Angelo Russell with the second overall pick, visions of backcourt pairing with last year’s outstanding rookie Jordan Clarkson began to surface. Both guards are capable of playing on and off the ball and compliment each other very well.
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After their first practice together, Clarkson praised the rookie saying that he makes the game easier for everyone according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Just one summer league practice under their belts but Jordan Clarkson said D'Angelo Russell makes the game "a lot easier for everybody."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) July 6, 2015
This is a very good skill to have and one that will be very useful for Russell both in the Summer League and when the regular season rolls around. The Lakers don’t have many players who will set up teammates consistently and Russell has an uncanny ability to do just that.
As the second overall pick, there will be a ton of pressure on Russell to produce immediately, but he seems capable of fulfilling his vast potential. Along with Julius Randle, who is also impressing in these practices, and Clarkson, the Lakers may have one of the best young trios in the NBA.
There were a lot of questions as to whether the Lakers should have taken Russell over center Jahlil Okafor, but if these early indications mean anything, the Lakers may have made the right choice.
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