Lakers: 5 Reasons Why Giving Byron Scott Credit for Success is Wrong

5. The Mishandling of D’Angelo Russell

As stated, one of the biggest catalysts for this recent run by the Lakers has been the performance of 20-year-old rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell. The youngster has been playing completely out of his mind, averaging 21 points, 4.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 46.3 percent from long-range in the 10 games he’s played since being put back into the starting rotation.

While a Byron Scott sympathizer might says that this was the coach’s vision all along in keeping Russell coming off of the bench, that blatantly ignores the reality of the situation—that Scott keeping the rookie playing with the reserves and less talented players where he was stifled as to what he could do at the point guard position ultimately stunted his development and kept him in a metaphorical cage on the basketball court.

Let’s not forget that Scott was routinely throwing Russell into lineups that included Nick Young and Lou Williams on the wings, two ball-dominant players that took the ball out of the rookie’s hands. Since coming back into the starting lineup, Russell has been unleashed by being surrounded on the floor by more high-quality talent and players he can build an on-court rapport with. While fans should be thankful that Scott finally came to his senses in allowing Russell to finally take over this role, let’s not forget that the 20-year-old’s struggles were largely an issue of Byron’s creation.

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