Through five preseason games, Los Angeles Lakers’ point guard, D’Angelo Russell’s shot chart is unbelievable
By now you should know the story line of the Lakers 2016-17 relatively clearly: Byron Scott plus Kobe Bryant Farewell Tour plus Nick Young drama equals bad rookie season for D’Angelo Russell.
However, since having all of these issues remedied and subsequently, having the reins of the team handed over to him he’s proven that he is more than capable of being the face of the franchise moving forward.
2015 --> 2016 pic.twitter.com/XPmutC3pWb
— Mutiple Sources (@ericdyee) July 12, 2016
Almost immediately after Coach Scott and Kobe were removed from the equation, Russell put on a show in Las Vegas Summer League averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals and he isn’t done yet… not by a long shot.
In his first five preseason games, Russell is averaging 20.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists while limiting his turnovers to only three a game. But as is the case with most players, the stats don’t tell the whole story, though this shot chart should give you a good idea of what I mean.
https://twitter.com/MikeSGallagher/status/786965592720846849
As many have been pointing out, this preseason it’s apparent that D’Angelo Russell is only one good screen away from getting an easy bucket for himself or one for his teammate.
His performance has even gained positive attention in the media, something which was scarce, and that’s being kind, last season. Apparently, time really does heal all wounds.
Given all the attention on Byron and Nick Young stuff, lots of fans are gonna be surprised how good this guy is on offense. https://t.co/HdW2IgyZvY
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) October 13, 2016
What’s most impressive, and what isn’t shown in any graphic, is the ease of which Russell is getting these shots.
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In the pick and roll, D’Loading is absolutely deadly. Looking at his percentage from midrange, defenders now have to rotate out to Russell when his man is screened, leading to wide open opportunities for his teammates as shown by his 11 assists Thursday against the Sacramento Kings.
More over, Russell is not only telling reporters and fans what he should be working on prior to the game, but he’s actually executing when it comes time to do so. For example, before Thursday’s game he said he needed to be getting more assist.
While we often see players say things like this, then get fully focused on padding only that one stat, that wasn’t the case for Russell at all, as he also added 31 points, with 29 of those coming through three quarters.
Exhibit two has D’Angelo Russell telling the media that he had an epiphany that for the Lakers to truly succeed, defense must lead to offense. Through five games Russell has become noticeably more active and aggressive on defense and his increased his amount of steals per game attest to that.
It’s hard to believe that fans and journalists alike still maintain that the team should’ve drafted Jahlil Okafor –yes, Okafor, not even Kristaps Porzingis — over D’Angelo Russell.
Next: Lakers vs Golden State Warriors Preseason Preview
Believe what you’d like, but the proof is in the numbers. The future is loading.