https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKWPdWbAvSs
Lurking beneath the chatter about Nick Young and Iggy Azalea’s broken relationship and a rookie’s questionable SnapChat behavior is an extremely promisising young NBA point guard. D’Angelo Russell is dominating Summer League for his Los Angeles Lakers, lending hope to the notion that he’ll blossom further in his 2016-17 season.
Every year there is at least one player in Las Vegas who is clearly too good to be there. This year, Russell is certainly one of them. Averaging 22.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and four assists per game, he’s been offering symposiums on basketball more than playing it, operating on a consistently higher plane than the competition.
His most recent performance saw him drop 26 points in a win against the Golden State Warriors. There is a sort of refreshed ease to how Russell moves in these highlights, an “oh, that shot is available” breath of relief. Russell also hit a game-winning shot, a deep three, against the Philadelphia 76ers in Vegas over the weekend.
Heading into his second season with some obvious improvement and No. 2 selection Brandon Ingram now at his side, D’Angelo will look to kick off a new era of Lakers basketball in earnest under new coach Luke Walton. The Lakers lack the brand recognition they had with Kobe Bryant just months ago, but their youth movement offers a specific excitement that their fans haven’t seen in decades.
