When Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott announced that rookie D’Angelo Russell would be coming off the bench, many people were unhappy, most notably Russell himself.
Though Russell has embraced his bench role, his desire to return to the starting lineup is no secret to anyone.
One thing moving to the bench has given Russel is extra motivation and according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, Russell does believe this role has given him an ‘edge’ that could go away if he starts:
D'Angelo:"You obviously don't want to stay a reserve, no disrespect, but you just wanna keep that edge, like feeling you should be starting"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 26, 2015
Russell further explained his thought process of his mindset when coming off the bench, via Winters:
D'Angelo continued: "Not saying that you're better than the next guy, but just playing like I deserve to be out there starting this game."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 26, 2015
Aggression was something that Russell struggled with at the outset of the season. He seemed to be nonchalant at times, and sharing the court with aggressive, ball-dominant players like Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle made it even more difficult for Russell to take control.
Many may not agree with the move of Russell to the bench, but his numbers have not dipped despite playing slightly fewer minutes. He is actually averaging more points in his eight games coming off the bench than 22 games as a starter.
Though no one is sure exactly when Scott will change his starting lineup, it is going to happen at some point and many would assume that Russell and Randle will be starters again. If Russell can keep this aggressiveness when that happens, this stint on the bench could turn out to be beneficial for his growth as a player.
