This season has been a roller coaster for D’Angelo Russell. Expectations for the second year guard were high coming into this season. With a new coach coming in, a new system being implemented and Kobe Bryant retiring, it seemed like things were lining up for Russell to have a breakout season. Things haven’t exactly gone that way for D’Angelo, however, things have been significantly better than they seem.
On the surface, Russell is averaging 15 points per game and 4.8 assists per game, pretty solid numbers for any player in his age-20 season and a noticeable improvement over his rookie stats. However, what gets lost in these numbers is context. D’Angelo has produced these numbers while not exactly being the team’s leading guard. Lou Williams was very obviously the lead guard during his time with the Lakers, as Williams had a ridiculously high usage percentage considering that he was coming off of the bench. Williams’ usage rate was an absurd 30.6%, which would be the 9th highest this season tied with Kyrie Irving.
That usage rate was certainly justified; Williams was putting up an offensive display with Los Angeles, as he was setting career highs in many categories, including points per game and Player Efficiency Rating. The knock on Williams wasn’t his production, but rather his fit with the young core. A veteran player who takes up that much time with the ball is counterproductive for a team that is trying to rebuild and has no playoff hopes this season.
Now that Williams has been traded, Russell has had a chance to be the lead guard for the first time since his tenure with the Lakers started. And the results so far have been extremely promising.
Since the Lakers traded Williams, D’Angelo Russell has flourished on the offensive end. He has shown improvement in virtually every aspect of his game. Since the trade, he is averaging 20.8 points per game, 5.5 assists per game and 3.0 rebounds per game in 32.4 minutes per game. More impressive has been the major increase in field goal percentage; it isn’t simply an increase in usage, but a complete uptick in efficiency. Russell is shooting 46.3% from the floor, 34% from three point range and a True shooting percentage of 55.2%, all increases compared to his
Russell is shooting 46.3% from the floor, 34% from three point range and a True shooting percentage of 55.2%, all increases compared to his pre-All-Star game numbers, save for the long range shooting. To give you a better idea of how much improvement he has shown since the trade; his True Shooting percentage during those games would rank him one spot underneath Toronto’s star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.
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He hasn’t been perfect during that time, by any means. Russell still needs to find a balance offensively between deferring and play-making. D’Angelo can be lazy defensively but has shown signs that he can be an adequate defender. The long range shot selection absolutely needs to improve if he’s going to take the next step. Above all else, D’Angelo really needs to become consistent with his offensive game. The inconsistency, however, is expected from a player that’s so young. It’s easy to overlook the fact that this is barely his second season. With that said, the flashes of potential have been there with higher consistency than before and that’s the main takeaway from his play post All-Star game.
It’s admittedly a small sample size, but it does provide a glimpse of Russell’s immense offensive potential. The fact that someone that young can do that should be extremely encouraging to any Lakers fan.
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D’Angelo Russell still has a long way to go, but he also still has time to improve. It’s one of the advantages of declaring for the NBA draft at that young of an age. For now, as long as he continues showing consistent improvement, there’s no need to rush the process.