D'Angelo Russell is better than you think he is

[KobeMVP888]

Encouraging article:

https://theringer.com/dangelo-russell-i ... .m1ts7acwi

[lakerevolution]

If any self-proclaimed Laker fan doesn't see and have optomism in the potential of this new Walton-coached, Kobe-free squad . . well, they're probably over at that other site

[KobeMVP888]

If any self-proclaimed Laker fan doesn't see and have optomism in the potential of this new Walton-coached, Kobe-free squad . . well, they're probably over at that other site

You gotta figure that out of Russell, Ingram, Randle, Clarkson, Nance and Zubac, at least half will be solid NBA players at a minimum, a couple of them potential all-stars. We now simultaneously turn the page and the corner. There are no bigger Kobe fans than right here, but much of what the author states is true. Even the most die hard Kobe fan can make those common sense observations, never mind the stats that back them up. One thing not mentioned was that Russell obviously received more double teams with Kobe off the court, which at least partially accounts for the slight dip in field goal efficiency.

Did Tom come in here and post this article over there? What was the reaction?

[3Peatkb24]

I feel pretty optimistic about this upcoming season regarding major improvement and garnering much better chemistry. I fully expect Russell will be much better, Randle will improve, and Ingram will have a Good Rookie Season. IMO, Luke will get this team moving in the right direction. He is very smart, his Basketball IQ is off the charts. 30 wins is very possible as well which would be a 13 game improvement. If Ingram really kicks ass, which is rare for a Rookie but it could happen we may win over 30/like 32 or 33 or so. The most important thing to me this upcoming season is to see what kind of player Russell becomes. It's his team without Kobe here now. He is the PG/leader of the team so he needs to play like it and make high Basketball IQ decisions. I would like to see his Assist total around 10 that would mean he is getting everyone around him involved. Also he needs to limit the Turnovers as Turnovers will just kill your team!

[Julius Russell]

10 assists games aren't in Russell's future.

The ball will be moving and I expect a bunch of players averages 3-6 dimes. Not one guy averaging 10.


Russell and Ingram are both very young and not physically caught up yet.


My optimism lies in their skillset, attitude and work ethic.

[lakerevolution]

10 assists games aren't in Russell's future.

He'll have a few every season, but yeah 6.5 a game, tops, is probably more realistic because - much like Fish did - he has 'mates who can also share the ball. Did Kerr and Luke make Curry share the ball, or focus on his offense?

[3Peatkb24]

10 assists games aren't in Russell's future.

The ball will be moving and I expect a bunch of players averages 3-6 dimes. Not one guy averaging 10.


Russell and Ingram are both very young and not physically caught up yet.


My optimism lies in their skillset, attitude and work ethic.

All the Great PG's in the history of the game could get around 10 Assists in their sleep once they played a few years. I did say around 10 Assists so I don't mean 10 or more every game. Russell coming out of college was put on a pedestal for his passing ability and floor IQ so now that Ingram is on board and Randle, Clarkson, and Nance are ready to flourish why shouldn't he be able to have a lot of games with around 10 Assists? Everyone in here needs to quit protecting this guy and quit making excuses for him. As a Colts fan I am sure as hell am not going to say Andrew Luck should only throw for 3000 Yards and 25 TD's because the Colts need to run more. Fuck that, I expect Andrew to throw for more than 4000 and 40 TD's, that is what top Draft picks do/leaders do! Andrew did that in 2014. Time to step up or ship out!

[KobeMVP888]

I agree with Robert's take. Besides, since Magic Johnson, what championship team has boasted a 10 assist per game player?

[3Peatkb24]

I agree with Robert's take. Besides, since Magic Johnson, what championship team has boasted a 10 assist per game player?

Well I am assuming in a Luke ran type of Offense that we will be the type of team that relies on scoring a lot. I just don't think asking for around 10 Assists game is an unrealistic expectation. Being the #2 pick in the Draft he should be around 20 Points and 10 Assists when he eventually peaks out, JMO. The around is critical here, if he's 18/9 for example that is still Very Good. My expectations for anyone picked in the top 5 whether it be Football or Basketball are going to be high. I am not bashing Russell either, I just have high expectations for the guy and thought he looked Great in the Summer League.

[KobeMVP888]

I agree with Robert's take. Besides, since Magic Johnson, what championship team has boasted a 10 assist per game player?

Well I am assuming in a Luke ran type of Offense that we will be the type of team that relies on scoring a lot. I just don't think asking for around 10 Assists game is an unrealistic expectation. Being the #2 pick in the Draft he should be around 20 Points and 10 Assists when he eventually peaks out, JMO. The around is critical here, if he's 18/9 for example that is still Very Good. My expectations for anyone picked in the top 5 whether it be Football or Basketball are going to be high. I am not bashing Russell either, I just have high expectations for the guy and thought he looked Great in the Summer League.

He will never average anywhere near 10 apg for the reasons Robert gave and which you cited IMO. Being the second pick in the draft means little, too. Just go back and look at history. The number of #2 busts might surprise you.

[3Peatkb24]

I agree with Robert's take. Besides, since Magic Johnson, what championship team has boasted a 10 assist per game player?

Well I am assuming in a Luke ran type of Offense that we will be the type of team that relies on scoring a lot. I just don't think asking for around 10 Assists game is an unrealistic expectation. Being the #2 pick in the Draft he should be around 20 Points and 10 Assists when he eventually peaks out, JMO. The around is critical here, if he's 18/9 for example that is still Very Good. My expectations for anyone picked in the top 5 whether it be Football or Basketball are going to be high. I am not bashing Russell either, I just have high expectations for the guy and thought he looked Great in the Summer League.

He will never average anywhere near 10 apg for the reasons Robert gave and which you cited IMO. Being the second pick in the draft means little, too. Just go back and look at history. The number of #2 busts might surprise you.

I get there have been a lot of busts regarding #2's and even #1's but I don't think Russell will be one of them and I just have high expectations for him. I think he is capable of averaging 18-20 Points and 8-10 Assists once we really get good. I think Ingram will be our main go to guy in a couple of seasons regarding scoring and Randle will get a lot of touches inside as well. A chance for Russell to rack up lots of Assists IMO.

[KobeMVP888]

I get there have been a lot of busts regarding #2's and even #1's but I don't think Russell will be one of them and I just have high expectations for him. I think he is capable of averaging 18-20 Points and 8-10 Assists once we really get good. I think Ingram will be our main go to guy in a couple of seasons regarding scoring and Randle will get a lot of touches inside as well. A chance for Russell to rack up lots of Assists IMO.

Given the nature of the necessity of a share-the-ball offense and the natural play making abilities of not only Russell, but also Clarkson, Randle and Ingram, I would be shocked to see Russell average more than 7 per game in his career. Don't get me wrong, Randle, Russell and Clarkson disappointed me with the way they gravitated toward iso ball last season, but I prefer to compare that to a young NFL QB who doesn't know how to read defenses yet as opposed to their preference to want to go one on one. Competitive fire burns inside each and every one of these young players, so I believe that we will see them harness their play making skills for the greater good of the team this season. With the supporting veteran leadership of Deng, Mozgov and Calderon thrown into the mix, ALL of whom are proven TEAM players, we will start to see the infant stages of something special.

[3Peatkb24]

I get there have been a lot of busts regarding #2's and even #1's but I don't think Russell will be one of them and I just have high expectations for him. I think he is capable of averaging 18-20 Points and 8-10 Assists once we really get good. I think Ingram will be our main go to guy in a couple of seasons regarding scoring and Randle will get a lot of touches inside as well. A chance for Russell to rack up lots of Assists IMO.

Given the nature of the necessity of a share-the-ball offense and the natural play making abilities of not only Russell, but also Clarkson, Randle and Ingram, I would be shocked to see Russell average more than 7 per game in his career. Don't get me wrong, Randle, Russell and Clarkson disappointed me with the way they gravitated toward iso ball last season, but I prefer to compare that to a young NFL QB who doesn't know how to read defenses yet as opposed to their preference to want to go one on one. Competitive fire burns inside each and every one of these young players, so I believe that we will see them harness their play making skills for the greater good of the team this season. With the supporting veteran leadership of Deng, Mozgov and Calderon thrown into the mix, ALL of whom are proven TEAM players, we will start to see the infant stages of something special.

That very well could be if Russell and Clarky split their Assist total. Stats aren't the tell all but a good indicator how a great player is. We will see how Luke designs the Offense to run and what roles every player plays when the season starts. I would like to have a PG that distributes the ball a lot and takes smart/efficient shots with who we have now. When we had Kobe it was different because he handled the ball a lot. Having a PG get 8,9, 10 Assists wasn't necessary. Kobe is no longer around so the Offense could very well rely on the PG getting everyone involved more which means more Assists which has been main point in all of this.

[lakerevolution]

D'Angelo is going to assist himself a lot. And a team full of players that can get their own shot will not have one double-digit assist guy. THAT BEING SAID, the games in which he does get 9+ assists should be notches in the win column for us.

[3Peatkb24]

D'Angelo is going to assist himself a lot. And a team full of players that can get their own shot will not have one double-digit assist guy. THAT BEING SAID, the games in which he does get 9+ assists should be notches in the win column for us.

Yeah and that is sort of part of my point as well. I think in games he has 10 Assists or more we will win most of those. I am going to keep a stat on that this upcoming season and I would bet we rarely lose when Russell gets 10 or more. He may not have many games where he does it but I can see maybe 10 or so and it wouldn't shock me that we go undefeated in those games. Everyone will be involved and getting their touches/staying happy.