The 2016-17 NBA season is mercifully over for the Los Angeles Lakers. The team now heads into the offseason with the front office trying to improve the roster while the young core tries to take the next step in their development.
D’Angelo Russell, who went through his exit interview earlier this week, recently sat down with Drew Ruiz of SLAM Magazine to talk about a number of different topics from video games to his plans for the offseason.
Russell, much like his teammate Brandon Ingram, plans to get in touch with former Laker great Kobe Bryant this summer in hopes of working out with the five-time NBA champion:
SLAM: There are reports of Brandon Ingram going to workout with Kobe. Will you be working out with Kobe too?
DR: I’m going to definitely reach out to him. I just feel like there’s so many guys reaching out to him, tugging his way.
During his exit interview with the Lakers brass, Russell was told to improve his consistency on the basketball floor along with his leadership skills and to work on his body. Ingram, however, was urged to reach out to Bryant and workout with the retired superstar to improve all aspects of his game.
Head coach Luke Walton also said he believes Ingram would benefit greatly from working with Bryant. It’d be safe to assume the Lakers brass, Walton, and the coaching staff feels the same way regarding Kobe helping accelerate Russell’s development over the summer.
Whether Russell and Ingram do eventually reach out to Bryant this summer and workout with the Lakers legend remains to be seen, but the opportunity to do so seems to be there with the team’s blessing and encouragement.