Carmelo Anthony was seen giving Lakers’ guard, D’Angelo Russell some advice on the sidelines, but what was he saying?
Apparently knowing that time is of the essence, the young Lakers wasted no time picking the brains of everyone they could over their four day journey with Team USA.
From Julius Randle asking DeMarcus Cousins the ins-and-outs of big man play to Brandon Ingram desperately trying to learn from Kevin Durant, the Lakers’ trio are not taking their Team USA opportunity for granted by any means.
However, of the many interactions that have been recorded, in addtion to what Coach Gregg Popovich discussed with D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, the question that has fans stumped is exactly what Carmelo Anthony was telling D’Angelo during Day 2’s scrimmage.
In an interview with LakersNation’s Serena Winters, Russell said
"He was just giving me motivational, motivational tips, as far as my aggression and my approach to the game. It was just all positive, all positive tips. Just take it and run with it. . . All these guys they have something to offer, as far as their wisdom and I just listen as much as possible. When they talk, I listen."
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Based on the footage above, it’s definitely a Carmelo Anthony dominated conversation — it doesn’t look like Russell says one word — which attests to his statement that when they talk, he listens.
However, it might be his description of Coach Pop that took the cake:
"He’s like a serious… playful… I don’t know, like, vet.. I don’t know, it’s like he knows every answer and it’s like you couldn’t argue with him, you can’t tell him he’s wrong, you can’t do any of that. He’s like a guru."
Russell’s maturity seems to be speaking for itself, even saying that he’d rather not reveal what he and Coach Pop spoke about specifically as he preferred if his game did the talking.
When Carmelo was asked about the exchange between with Russell, he said that he feels like a big brother to a lot of players and D’Angelo is no different.
"It was just some things, that I, from my experiences, and just watching him, things that I thought could really help him. . . I see tons of talent, I see skill, I see someone who can, you know, really start to come into his own, really have an opportunity to be a top tier point guard in the NBA. I know this is his second year, he has some work to do, but he has tons of upside with him."
Melo also touched on D’Lo’s vision and craftiness on the court as something that makes him unique. So much for Stephen A Smith’s blab about nobody wanting to be around D’Angelo Russell.
Next: DeMarcus Cousins Has High Praise for Julius Randle
While nobody got into specifics, hopefully all of the positive thinking from Team USA camp, carries over to training camp and the regular season.