Rookie D’Angelo Russell has had his fair share of ups and downs during his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Ohio State product struggled early in the 2015-16 campaign as a starter under head coach Byron Scott and eventually demoted to a bench role.
Russell was able to work his way back into Scott’s good graces recently and has taken advantage of the situation to prove his worth. D’Angelo has gone from an overshadowed rookie relegated to the bench role back into a starter.
The former Buckeye has completely changed the narrative about his rookie season with some impressive performances as of late. Russell is making headlines on a nightly basis and has captured the attention of his peers around the NBA as well as his teammates. Marcelo Huertas talked about Russell’s improved play at the Lakers practice facility on Monday and thinks the 20-year-old needs to stay humble in order to continue his success:
“Be humble. I think that’s the most important thing for him to be successful.”
With the recent rash of injuries in the backcourt for the Lakers, Huertas has had his opportunity to shine. Huertas has played a considerable amount of minutes over the past few games and has made an impression with the 32-year-old coming off his best performance yet in the win over the Golden State Warriors.
Huertas and Russell have worked well together while on the floor at the same time for the Lakers. Both players have incredible court vision and play off one another while making everyone else on the team that much better at the same time.
As the Lakers near the end regular season, developing Russell as well as the other up-and-coming young players on the squad will be a priority for the struggling franchise. Russell has quickly gone from potential draft bust to a star in the making over the past few months and will have the opportunity to continue showing the team what he’s made of in the final 18 games.
