LOS ANGELES — The impressive preseason glimpses of Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell are just a sign of what's to come: Russell is primed for a breakout sophomore season.
As a rookie, he flashed his potential, scoring a career-high 39 points against the Brooklyn Nets. He reached the 20-point mark on 13 occasions, but over the course of the year, Russell struggled with consistency. Often overshadowed by the retiring Kobe Bryant and shuffled in and out of the starting lineup by former head coach Byron Scott, Russell scored in single digits 27 times, finishing the season with an average of 13.2 points per night while shooting 41 percent from the field.
While he justified the Lakers' decision to select him second overall in the 2015 NBA draft, he averaged just 3.3 assists per game, nearly matched by 2.5 turnovers.
"My mentality is just way different this year. I have more of a business-like approach to everything I do," Russell said. "Getting that one year of experience under my belt, I know what I'm capable of."
The Lakers replaced Scott with new head coach Luke Walton, who spent the ...
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Article written by Eric Pincus
LA Lakers Insider: D’Angelo Russell on Verge of Breakout Season
October 11th, 2016 by Eric Pincus Leave a reply »
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