True Lakers Fans

Hopefully he keeps improving because he is our Point Guard. Generally in season 2 by the time it is 3/4 over you know what you have with a player and whether or not after season 2 they will blossom into a Star by season 3. You cant really put much stock into someone's Rookie season as most rookie's struggle. I treat rookie seasons as learning experiences for 95% of players that have came into the league. Unless you are like Magic, Shaq, Duncan, or LeBron generally rookie's struggle. Even Kobe really didn't get it going until season 2 where he showed signs that he could be IT eventually and in season 3 he started to take off, season 4 he was a Champion. It took Paul George 3 seasons before he started to kick ass but I knew midway through season 2 that he was IT and could lead the Pacers to many deep playoff runs which he has twice already. I am hoping in this season 2 that Russell and Randle both become smarter, stronger, and quicker. Technically this is Randle's season 2.

I can refute a lot of that , year 2 stuff. So many players actually break out in year 3, and those players are generally older than Russell when drafted.

3peat. Some players improve incrementally every season until they crescendo at years 27-31.


Is he Magic or Kobe? Extremely doubtful.

KAT might be closer to that but still fall wayyyyyy short of those expectations

Julius Russell wrote:I can refute a lot of that , year 2 stuff. So many players actually break out in year 3, and those players are generally older than Russell when drafted.

3peat. Some players improve incrementally every season until they crescendo at years 27-31.


Is he Magic or Kobe? Extremely doubtful.

KAT might be closer to that but still fall wayyyyyy short of those expectations

Every player should improve in season 2 from their Rookie Season unless they just have a Great Rookie Season which most players dont. Season 2 is when Kobe and Paul George started to blossom, then both started playing like All-Stars in season 3. As of now I think Andrew Wiggins is better than KAT. Look how Wiggins played in season 2 and he will only get better.

Nah. If you want me to go through a list of All Stars and Hall of Famers with shitty year 2s... I will start with Nash and Stockton. Draymond Green is another off the top of my head.

Julius Russell wrote:Nah. If you want me to go through a list of All Stars and Hall of Famers with shitty year 2s... I will start with Nash and Stockton. Draymond Green is another off the top of my head.

Sure you can handpick a few but I can list at least 50 guys that improved greatly in season 2 that went on to have HOFame career's or Very Good career's. I just gave you Kobe, Paul George, and Andrew Wiggins. Durant was also much better in season 2. Sounds like you are already making a built in excuse for Russell if he struggles next season. He was the #2 pick in the Draft, dude needs to perform at a high level in season 2 and that is the bottomline. I see no excuse why he shouldn't. He has a season under his belt, he should be much smarter having played 1 season, and I am sure he will come out stronger due to working out all summer. If he plays lousy in season 2, then what? Is that something any of us want?

That's not how it works 3peat.

I'm not going into detail any further. It's just a dumb way to view sports.

He 'better'? So many fans telling a guy who is exceptional at his craft that works harder than any of us, that he better...


Do you relive that in year 1
Hardrn and Curry were ranked below Jennings and Tyreke Evans.
Lawsonwas ahead of them too.



It took Curry to this year to reach his full potential. He's 28.


Paul George and Kobe are two long athletic wings. They hit their stride earlier. What does that mean?

Not a fucking thing. Wiggins is another long athletic wing.

[quote="Julius Russell"]That's not how it works 3peat.

I'm not going into detail any further. It's just a dumb way to view sports.

He 'better'? So many fans telling a guy who is exceptional at his craft that works harder than any of us, that he better...


Do you relive that in year 1
Hardrn and Curry were ranked below Jennings and Tyreke Evans.
Lawsonwas ahead of them too.



It took Curry to this year to reach his full potential. He's 28.

Curry was Very Good from the get go. Look at his numbers, he had a Great Rookie Season for a Rookie. You are not getting my point. My point is every player should improve from their Rookie Season to season 2 and so on. How can you disagree with that?

Curry averaged almost 18 points a game as a Rookie and shot over 43% from 3, was nearly 89% from the line and averaged 6 Assists a game and then was even better in season 2 shooting wise and averaged the same amount of Assists. He was injured in season 3 but after that has been really dynamite. Curry has always been Very Good though from day 1, now he is Great obviously!

It's not an individual sport. Very Good or Great or Shitty or Whatever are relative to the players you are surrounded with. If Wiggins was so great in Year 2, why did his team stink stink, especially with the upgrade in talent? They were young. I'm completely with Robert on this one. You're still pissed we didn't draft Okafor, who we obviously would have stunk just as bad with had we drafted him.

More than that, we aren't in the position that many teams are/have been.

Randle missed his 'showcase season'. Clarkson got a half a season to do it all at a point.

Russell and Randle both were playing a selfish brand of ball. Not in a bad way given that had there been no first game injury, Julius would have gotten that out of his way.

I digress. This season, with no Kobe, guys are going to want to show what they can do individually to a certain extent. Then add Ingram to that.
Then add whatever guy that takes our money.


Can't compare anyone on our team to anyone who was handed keys to the franchise. I expect us to know a bit more about Ingram late in season 2.

KobeMVP888 wrote:It's not an individual sport. Very Good or Great or Shitty or Whatever are relative to the players you are surrounded with. If Wiggins was so great in Year 2, why did his team stink stink, especially with the upgrade in talent? They were young. I'm completely with Robert on this one. You're still pissed we didn't draft Okafor, who we obviously would have stunk just as bad with had we drafted him.

Actually if Russell averaged what Curry did his Rookie Season or even close to it I would be ok with us stinking because Curry's team stunk as well then. I would know we had something special at least is my point. Shockingly you are not getting my point either. I understand it takes time for teams to get better because it's a team game but seeing the individual improve each season shows me that eventually he will have IT factor and the team will eventually get better. I cant understand why that is so hard to understand for you guys? So if Russell goes out and has a season like last season then what is his upside? If he goes out and averages 4 or 5 more points a game, a couple of more Assists and shows he's more of a leader and we still stink as a team I am ok with it because I know we have something brewing. I will go out on a limb and say the Wolves make the Playoffs this upcoming season and a lot of that is due to Wiggins getting better and better. I just want to see improvement in our players so it's not about if we win 30 or 35 games yet.

-I am actually over us not Drafting Okafor because I have to accept it and move on and hope Russell pans out. Especially if we can eventually get a Center that can play solid. I honestly thought you would give me a like for my original Post because I totally dismissed Russell's Rookie Season as a learning experience and I understand why he struggled - most Rookie's do.

I will use another example. After Lillard's Rookie Season I knew he would be Very Good. By the way he was the 6th pick in the Draft not the 2nd pick. Russell is entering season 2 so if he cant even have a season like Lillard had his Rookie Season, then what? Portland even lost Aldridge and still made the Semi Finals Round and played the Warriors pretty good. Everyone had Portland stinking coming into this season, not 1 person had them making the Playoffs. I'll drop this subject but my Post here should hit home.

Thanks Craig for the like, you get my point! My motto from here on out is "no more excuses, time to improve and win". We have endured 3 seasons of misery, I have had tons of patience for 3 years and now it is time for our players to start improving and our team to start winning more. In reality there is no reason why Russell and Randle both shouldn't be much better than last season and that is the bottomline. We have our Coach in place and now potentially a fabulous Rookie in Ingram. I am praying we get Whiteside or Horford, if that happens that will make a big difference how we do as a team. I think our 2nd Round pick = the Center we got could potentially pan out as well. He surely has to be better than Sacre LOL. Roy has turned out to be a STIFF as Kenny would say, unfortunately. Man, Roy was Very Good in 2012 and 2013 and it's like now he forgot how to play?? Big Roy should be history as Sacre and Kelly should be too!

Again.

Lillard was 23...

Russell is 20. If you don't think that matters, there is nothing to talk about. Obviously you don't get it and won't get it.




Keep living vicariously through these players