LAS VEGAS — If there was any doubt that Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell sensed the excitement over them from all around the Los Angeles Lakers and their fanbase, listen to them articulate the pressure and disappointment they felt Monday night.
Randle: "Everything starts with me. I've got to be better. End of story."
Russell: "Every game matters to me. And me being competitive, I forget it's just summer league. I'm trying to get better so fast instead of being patient and letting it come to me."
The Lakers whiffed on marquee free agents again and remain unclear on what level of health or excellence can be expected from Kobe Bryant's presumed final season, so there is a level of uneasiness, of course.
What has been interesting, though, is that the lack of proven commodities has forced the Lakers to accept the reality of rebuilding: Invest in young talent.
Massive crowds—which forced the opening of the curtained-off upper deck at the Thomas & Mack Center—have been hugely enthusiastic to watch the Laker kids' first three games in the NBA Summer League. (On ...
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Article written by Kevin Ding
Laker Kids Randle, Russell Pushing Too Hard in Eagerness to Be Great
July 14th, 2015 by Kevin Ding Leave a reply »
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