The Los Angeles Lakers faced a very talented Raptors team Friday night, but showed some greats signs of improvement. Los Angeles played quite well throughout the game, but a dismal fourth quarter left them with a 102-91 loss, its tenth of the season.
Despite a career night from rookie D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers could not muster enough in the final period to come away with the victory. After the game, Kobe Bryant provided some critiques for Russell and what he needs to focus on in order to become a great player.
Bryant understands the role defense has not only for individual success, but also team success, and he wants Russell to focus on improving on that end of the court via LakersNation.com reporter Serena Winters:
Kobe said D'Angelo's biggest challenge is on defense: "When guys see him their eyes light up & they're trying to go at him pretty hard."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 21, 2015
Kobe: “Defensively is where he (D'Angelo) wants to start making his mark, you don’t want to get a reputation as being a guy who can’t guard”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 21, 2015
Russell finished the night with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists, with a plus/minus of +9. The rookie finally got the playing time fans have been asking for and he responded in a big way after his 33 minutes on the court.
The Lakers now stand at 2-10 on the season and are dead last in the Pacific Division standings. To make matters worse, the Lakers have a tough road ahead of them with games coming up against the Portland Trail Blazers and the undefeated Golden State Warriors.
