Days before selecting Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers ensured that the rookie point guard would have a starting role right from the start by trading away incumbent starter D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets. Russell had improved in his sophomore season under first year coach Luke Walton but the Lakers apparently wanted to move on and put Ball in charge of their offense. At least, that’s how Lakers team president Magic Johnson phrased things after Russell was traded away.
Offering a rather unflattering portrayal of Russell, Johnson told reporters that he and general manager Rob Pelinka decided to deal the 21-year-old point guard because he wasn’t a leader. Given Russell’s age and his stunted development under former coach Byron Scott, this was a rather curious criticism for Johnson to levy. But Russell’s maturity did become an issue at times during his two years with the Lakers and Johnson clearly just wanted the team to move in a different direction.
Despite this parting shot by Johnson, Russell has remained gracious in his exit. So much so that in his recent appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s The Woj Pod, Russell said he didn’t wanted to to get in a back-and-forth with Johnson through the media because frankly, it wasn’t a fight he was going to win.
Russell did however acknowledge that he was taken aback by Johnson’s comments(as transcribed by Silver Screen & Roll’s Drew Garrison).
“I didn’t know what the reason behind it was,” Russell told Wojnarowski. “I’m off your hands. I have nothing to do with you, I’m on a new team. I didn’t understand the comment, I still don’t.
“Like I said before, he’s still one of the best point guards to ever play the game, and for him to say anything about me I can just run with it. If it’s negative, if it’s positive, whatever he has to say about me, it’s something I can just run with and make the best out of it.”
This is probably the best approach towards Johnson for Russell to take. He needs to just focus on his future and not the past. That way he can move forward with his career and reach his full potential. Of course, Russell may be just saying this publicly and privately could be using Johnson’s criticism to fuel his training in the offseason and performance this upcoming season, which also would be the right move for him to make.
Only time will tell though if Johnson’s criticism proves to be valid, but Russell controls his own destiny and it seems like he is taking the right path as he heads into his third season on a brand new team.
