Lakers, Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram only had a few days to practice with the stars of Team USA and their peers had high praise for the trio
For years, the Los Angeles Lakers have been represented by one man, and one man only in the Olympics, but now that Kobe Bryant is gone, the torch has officially been passed to D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and rookie, Brandon Ingram.
The Olympics represents the opportunity for each country to round up their best players and put on a show for all of the world to see. Sadly, this year, mainly due to concerns regarding the Zika Virus, many of the top NBA players including Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and LeBron James decided not to play.
Even so, the pickings were not slim with stars like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and DeMarcus Cousins headlining the Olympic effort. Further, in addition to the multitude of on court talent, players are also blessed with the opportunity to learn from the likes of Coach K of Duke and San Antonio Spurs’ mastermind, Gregg Popovich.
In their brief time with Team USA, the young Lakers managed to make their mark felt by the rest of their peers who were impressed to say the least.
When asked about Julius Randle, Sacramento Kings’ center, DeMarcus Cousins had nothing but praise for his fellow Kentucky big man.
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"Oh, that’s my young fella. He actually, he’s always picking my brain. He’s always asking for advice. You know, he’s asking about spots on the floor, what’s a good shot, what’s a bad shot. So, I think he’s a sponge right now. He’s trying to soak in as much information as he can right now. He’s learning from some of the older guys and some of the talent around him. So, I think he’s doing all the correct things and that’s exactly how you should be as a young player in this camp."
In terms of growth, Cousins said that he’s always been a fan of Randle but more so, “I think he has all the talent, I think he has all the abilities, it’s just about figuring out the game and putting it all together. And once he figures that part out, he’s gonna be a scary player in this league.”
Favorite team growing up was the Lakers. #CANTBOXBOOGIE https://t.co/9nlCrg7q97
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) July 21, 2016
Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony also had some kind words for D’Angelo Russell, though Irving wasn’t keen on discussing exactly what his competition should be working on specifically.
While it was interesting to hear what their peers had to say about the young Lakers, the most impressive thing to me was their willingness to actually do so. During the season, players are often more close lipped, sometimes even hostile to the media, so to see them open to talk was a nice change of pace.
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Team USA camp may be over for the Lakers’ young guys but seeing their unrelenting desire to learn and how complacency isn’t in their cards, gives fans yet another reason to be excited about the upcoming season.