Los Angeles Lakers second-year point guard D'Angelo Russell has been perhaps the biggest star in Summer League while leading the Lakers to an undefeated record, giving both fans and the franchise hope about his continued development.
However, that doesn't mean the Lakers love everything they've seen from their young star. According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, LA is trying to "rein in" Russell offensively and make him more of a playmaker.
Yet, the Lakers’ coaches admittedly have mixed feelings about Russell’s progressions on maximizing those talents while taking what Lakers Summer League coach Jesse Mermuys called a “more mature approach to the game.”
“I feel for him a little bit because when you have the ability to do that, that flash is exciting,” Mermuys said. “I’m sure he enjoys it. It’s fun to watch for the fans. As a coach, I’m trying to rein him in. That’s a hard process.”
After all, Mermuys mused the Warriors are not exactly holding Stephen Curry back when he drops 3-pointers from unimaginable places on the court.
“I want him to feel confident and we want him to have that swag,” Mermuys said. “It’s unbelievable and powerful. But we want him to be able to do it at the right times and do it in a winning style of play.”
In other words, the Lakers would like it if Russell committed more assists (one) than turnovers (four). Or that Russell defended with little effectiveness against the Sixers, including giving up a layup before his game-winning shot, that Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. often yelled at him.
Russell is averaging 22.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in Summer League, along with four assists and five turnovers.
Follow our Los Angeles Lakers news page for all the latest Lakers news!
Back to the Los Angeles Lakers Newsfeed