Lakers Draft: Scott Thinks Russell Should Stick To Kobe
By Alex Torres
Byron Scott has a rough start in his first year as a head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. He came to Los Angeles looking to turn things around, but the Lakers only won 21 games and it was an extremely frustrating season.
RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Lakers Must Succeed in Free Agency
Luckily, all those losses positioned the Lakers to land the number two pick in the draft. We now know that the Lakers went with D’Angelo Russell and his head coach is excited about coaching him next season.
Scott already had some advice for the newest Laker. According to the Lakers’ official Twitter account, Scott thinks Russell should learn from Kobe Bryant as much as possible:
Byron Scott on D'Angelo Russell: "My advice would be to stick as close to Kobe as possible. Learn as much as you can from him."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 26, 2015
Scott mentored Bryant when the Mamba was a young 18-year-old rookie with the Lakers in 1996. Now, Bryant will get to mentor Russell as he approaches his retirement. Bryant won’t go out of his way to teach the rookies, which is why Russell has to be to one that sticks to the five-time NBA Champion.
Russell said before the draft that he would relish learning from Bryant, but understands that nothing will be given to him, he must earn it. Russell will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders and Bryant is the perfect person to teach him how to win in Los Angeles.
Hopefully Bryant is ready to pass on his wealth of knowledge. Be ready to learn rook.