Limiting Turnovers
It’s only natural for young, ball-dominant players to struggle with the turnover bug, but tolerance for giveaways can only run so thin.
When looking at Russell’s stats from last season, his low assist average and (relatively) high turnover rate instantly jump out as concerns. Those numbers , however, hardly tell the story of what transpired on the floor.
But these hypotheticals only get us so far, and Russell will continue to be judged by the realities of his current situation.
The Lakers, being the 17-win team they were last season, made a ton of unforced errors, and often times Russell was the victim, not the perpetrator, of these miscues. Dropped passes, easy misses, and botched spacing plagued the Purple and Gold, and Russell’s ability to fit unexpected passes through impossibly small windows only exacerbated that issue.
His teammates too frequently fumbled interior looks, failed to rotate to their spot on the floor, and left the rookie’s stat line out to dry by blowing open jumpers and rim rolls. Put Russell on a league-average team and you’d quickly see his assist numbers rise and turnover totals fall.
But these hypotheticals only get us so far, and Russell will continue to be judged by the realities of his current situation. Regardless of who’s sharing the floor with him, he’ll need to learn when to take risks and when to play it safe.
At the end of the day, he’s the team’s facilitator and if the coaching staff can’t rely on him to take care of the basketball, he’ll have a hard time developing a proper point guard mentality.
If it sounds like a tall task, it is, but that’s what will realistically be expected of a prospect with his potential.
Leadership Ability
Considering the public scrutiny he endured last season, it’s safe to say that Russell’s introduction to the mental burden of NBA life was a trial by fire.
And while the white hot national spotlight has dimmed following the conclusion of Kobe’s farewell tour, things won’t get any easier for the 20-year-old guard.
The case for D’Angelo’s leadership ability got off to a rocky start with last season’s bizarre social media scandal, but as Nick Young‘s tenure in Los Angeles quickly approaches it’s merciful end, most Laker fans have since brushed off any notion that Russell’s reputation would be permanently damaged.
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Either way, he’ll have a tall task ahead of him as he prepares to grab the leaderships reigns of a hallmark franchise at it’s absolute lowest point.
Does Russell have the maturity and disposition to lead this rebuilding Lakers team? Will other young studs like Randle or Brandon Ingram assume leadership roles themselves? Will Russell gain the respect of established veterans and new coach Luke Walton?
These questions will continue to follow the young guard even if his on-court play begins to speak for itself.
Next: Predicting the Lakers' Record Against the Pacific Division
Thus far, we can only speculate into what kind of leader Russell will become, but how he’s handle his adversity thus far bodes well for his future.