Lakers Summer League: Reviewing Russell’s Performance
At 19 years old, it was hard to expect too much out of the number two overall selection in the draft, but Russell was able to show us plenty of what he is about in just four games in Las Vegas. The Lakers summer league roster looked stacked, highlighted by 2015 All-NBA Rookie First Team selection Jordan Clarkson, last year’s seventh overall pick Julius Randle, and of course, Russell.
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We got to see Russell go against the three other top four selections in the draft, all the same age, which makes it a bit easier to evaluate his production as we can compare it to the other draft stars. Jahlil Okafor posted an impressive 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Lakers, but besides that Russell was able to match the play of the other two top draft selections of Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis.
Probably the most obvious part of Russell’s summer league performance was the turnover issue. Russell committed 20 turnovers in the first three games, leading the team, but only committed three turnovers in this last game against the Mavericks. This may seem like a big problem considering he is supposed to be an exceptional ball handler, but this isn’t something to worry about for a few reasons.
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First, and most importantly, Russell is still a teenager, and will need a few years to mature and get used to the speed of the game. Pretty much every young point guard in the league will struggle with taking care of the ball for at least their first season. It takes time to develop poise as a point guard, which Russell has already shown a lot of in different aspects of his game. The second reason is that most of his turnovers were intercepted or deflected passes. It’d be one problem if defenders were taking it from Russell at ease, but his ball handling was never an issue. Certain passes that worked in college don’t work at the pro level. Russell, like all young point guards, needs to time to get used to the speed and length of NBA defenders.
Although Russell struggled with taking care of the ball, he still showed that he is a great passer and playmaker. Through the first three games, Russell led the team in assists, including a game-high six dimes against the Timberwolves. In the Lakers’ latest game against Dallas, Russell finished with five assists. The great part about Russell’s ability to pass is that he lets plays develop. He never seems to rush to get the ball out of his hands, and always wants to make the right play. Now, he is going to have to learn what is and what is not the right play, but the mindset is there. He showed that he takes his time coming off screens, and can throw the lob, or bounce pass to the roll man.
Most young point guards panic when they don’t see any openings or passing lanes, as they will usually try to force up a shot. Russell rarely forced any shot attempts, and when things weren’t looking good, he simply kept his dribble alive and stayed patient.
One part of Russell’s game that made him a top three prospect was his outside shot. Russell made 95 threes in his lone season at Ohio State, shooting the long ball at 41%. Russell, like Stephen Curry, was most known for his ability to shoot off the dribble. Whether it was coming off the on-ball screen or pulling up in transition, Russell showed he had a quick and accurate release off the bounce. What we saw in the first three games in Vegas was no different. Although he did not shoot as much as we anticipated, Russell showed no hesitation in letting it fly when he found himself open with the ball in his hands. The accuracy wasn’t great, but all that matters at this point in his career is he can get the shot off without any issues.
What surprised me and probably most Laker fans was that Russell only made one three-pointer. All of his jumpshots came from mid-range, except for the one three he made in the opening minutes of the first game. And the one three he did make, was off the dribble. This is something that deserves some concern. Not saying that Russell can’t shoot off the catch, but it was the fact that he didn’t seem to make much of an impact off the ball. With Clarkson in the backcourt, Russell is going to have to learn how to play without the ball just as much as with the ball. Clarkson impressed us all with his improved catch and shoot skills, and he was supposed to be the one that couldn’t shoot.
It’s getting clearer and clearer that Clarkson is going to be a star in this league, and if Russell wants to play alongside him, the former Buckeye is going to show more capability of playing without the ball.
Despite Russell’s somewhat disappointing performance in the summer league, I found myself pretty optimistic that just about every part of his game would improve. However, there was one thing that actually worries me a bit about Russell, and that is his quickness. We all knew coming into the draft that Russell wasn’t a John Wall or Russell Westbrook type athlete, and we were okay with that because he was still so skilled.
What Russell just couldn’t do throughout the summer league is something that every elite guard is a master of: turning the corner. From Tony Parker to James Harden and everybody in between, guards these days just have a way of getting around their defender and into the paint. Even Kobe, at his dinosaur age, still uses footwork to get around his defender somehow. Russell’s lack of quickness made it very hard for him to get into the paint and do what he does best, make plays.
In a league where the screen and roll is the centerpiece of every offense, guards have to be able to get around the defender whether it is a switch or the guard goes under/over the screen. Russell doesn’t have the quickness of teammate Jordan Clarkson, so he is going to have to learn from Kobe how to use strength and footwork to get around a guy.
To leave on a positive note, what really impressed me about Russell was his ability to use his body. At 6’5″ with a near 6’10” wingspan, Russell is going to be one of the bigger guards in the league. We got to see him use his large frame in many aspects of the game. First, and most importantly, Russell just looked big on defense, whether it was using his long arms to get a hand on the ball, or simply staying in front of somebody. Although Russell isn’t very quick, he looked like he uses his length to keep up with smaller guards. Also, Russell averaged just above five rebounds per game, which would put him among the league’s best rebounding guards if that translates to the regular season.
It’s only four games, so let’s not get too carried away for the better or the worse. Russell’s potential is through the roof, and what we saw in this summer league was just the beginning of Russell’s journey as the next Lakers franchise leader.