D’Angelo Russell is still trying to figure out how to be successful at the point guard position in the NBA. The former second overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakers has shown signs of a promising future in Los Angeles, but his problems turning over the basketball have been a concern of new head coach Luke Walton.
In the win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, Russell committed five turnovers to go along with his 17 points and one assist. Although Walton was complimentary of Russell’s performance, he admitted the second-year guard needs to continue working on not turning the ball over Spectrum SportsNet via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Luke Walton on D’Angelo Russell (on @SpectrumSN): "Definitely had a big part in the win tonight but we’ve got to keep those turnovers down."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 11, 2016
In the nine games played thus far, Russell has committed less than three turnovers only twice. The former Buckeye had one turnover in the win over the Golden State Warriors and only two in the loss to the Indiana Pacers, but he’s averaging 3.2 per game, and that’s obviously something that needs to change.
Russell talked about his issue with turnovers this season after Thursday’s game. The 20-year-old believes it has a lot to do with his style of play and aggressiveness, via Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
Russell's view on his TO's: "When I'm passing, I turn the ball over. But when I'm aggressive & then pass, I don't turn the ball over."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 11, 2016
Despite Russell’s struggles with still learning how to balance passing and scoring, the team is playing much better than anticipated this season. The Lakers were able to come back from 19 points down against the Kings on Thursday on their way to a fifth win of the season and will try to keep it going as they continue their road trip against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
