D’Angelo Russell: Lakers Shocked Themselves in Beating Warriors

D’Angelo Russell admitted on Monday that the Lakers were shocked by their own accomplishment after beating the Warriors

The Los Angeles Lakers stunned the NBA world in the most major ways on Sunday afternoon when they welcomed the Golden State Warriors to STAPLES Center and then sent them packing in emphatic fashion with a 17-point victory for the Lakers. It was a result that almost no one saw coming. In fact, if you ask rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell, even the Lakers didn’t see it coming.

Talking about the upset victory on Sunday against the Warriors after Monday’s practice, Russell said that he knew that he and the team had shocked a lot of people around the NBA by going out and grabbing a relatively dominant victory. He punctuated that by saying that the Lakers even “shocked themselves” by getting a win over Golden State:

Especially with how he’s been playing as of late, there’s so much to love about Russell as a prospect. However, one of the more underrated things about the 20-year-old guard is his obvious maturation in regards to how he handles the press. Where he might’ve been standoffish earlier in the season when asked certain questions, he’s now much more candid in moments like this and willing to give real insight. That speaks a lot to his growth as a professional in this league, even if that’s not always totally calculable when it comes to young players.

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That maturation matches up nicely with his maturation on the court as well, too. Though Russell has been the talk of the town in LA with his recent performance, it was particularly great to see him shine in a marquee matchup against the Warriors coming off of a game where he struggled in a mighty way in the Lakers’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Again, that shows Russell’s developing confidence since being re-inserted into the starting lineup.

There’s certainly a reason as to why the players were shocked by beating the Warriors on Sunday—this Lakers team still isn’t going to go on to compete for the title, even if they are mathematically still alive for a playoff berth. However, it gives fans a glimpse of the ceiling and the hope of a time in the not-too-distant future where big wins like this are far more expected than they are shocking.