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Lakers: D’Angelo Russell and the Freedom To Make Mistakes

By Cody Williams

Apr 8, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) is guarded by New Orleans Pelicans forward James Ennis (4) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 110-102. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) is guarded by New Orleans Pelicans forward James Ennis (4) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 110-102. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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D’Angelo Russell will benefit greatly from having the freedom to make mistakes as the Luke Walton era begins for the Lakers

As Luke Walton begins his tenure as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, there are going to be obvious improvements almost immediately in numerous regards. If there were a single reason for fans to pinpoint as to why they should be getting excited for the Walton era in LA, it’s what the new regime means for point guard and 2015 No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell.

Russell had some bright spots for the Lakers as a rookie under Byron Scott last season, but also had his fair share of growing pains. However, one of the infinitely frustrating aspects of Russell playing under Scott was the how his occasional blunders—common of a 19-year-old—were treated by the coaching staff. In essence the reaction that his mistakes elicited from Byron almost robbed the rookie of his creativity on the floor.

With the arrival of Luke Walton comes the departure of that mentality and approach, though.

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Looking at the success that Stephen Curry and the Warriors have had over the past two seasons after the arrival of Steve Kerr and with Walton on the sideline, much of what they do is impressive. What truly stands out, though, is the freedom that the coaching staff gives the players on the floor. Part of that comes from a trust in the talent on the floor, but it’s also a philosophical approach to the game. It’s a philosophy that is willing to allow mistakes for the sake of creativity.

On more than one occasion over the past two seasons in Golden State, fans will have seen Curry either try to make a pass or dribble into a lane that wasn’t there for him. Though Kerr and Walton might not enjoy a turnover or bad possession, they still foster the creativity that it takes to see those plays and try to make them. They work with that type of creativity and mold it rather than stifle it.

When you watched Russell as a rookie, especially near the end of the season, it was like watching a completely different player on the floor once Byron let him off of the leash and allowed him to simply feel the game and create. There were still mistakes made, but there was far more energy with the Ohio State product individually and with the rest of the Lakers on the floor.

To be clear, I’m not comparing Russell to Curry in any regard. Not only is Russell’s ceiling almost surely not that high, but they are also different types of players. However, they are similar in that they both thrive when they are allowed freedom to make the plays they see on the floor rather than being forced to remain rigid.

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Assuming that Walton brings the same philosophy to the Lakers that he worked with in Golden State, Russell should theoretically thrive given what we saw from him last season. In fact, we’ve already seen him show a bit of it when briefly working in the shell of Walton’s system at Summer League.

Obviously you don’t want to read too much into Summer League, but Russell looked like a star in Las Vegas and it was largely because he was playing the role of leader with the ball in his hands and simply looking to be creative and make plays. Yes, that led to him making turnovers—but it also led to an exciting and successful brand of basketball for him personally and for the Lakers.

Again, this isn’t to say that Russell isn’t going to be coached at all and will be able to do whatever the hell he wants on the floor. However, it seems as if he’s going to be allowed to be a creative floor general, playmaker, and scorer under Luke Walton and that could mean him taking incredible strides forward.

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