Free The Youth

“Sun don’t shine in the shade…

…. bird can’t fly in a cage.” It’s been about two weeks now since Uncle Byron finally let the boys off the leash & put D’Angelo Russell & Julius Randle back in the starting lineup for the rest of the season. After last night’s win over the Magic, the Lakers have won back-to-back games for the first time in over a month, lead by the excellent play of their young starters. Things got off to a rough start, but finally securing these starting spots has been a major plus for both the players & the team.

Randle got his starting spot back first, & in the last 10 games since becoming the starter, he’s averaged 13 points & 10 rebounds on 46% shooting. Randle averaging 13–10 makes him one of only eleven players in the entire league to average a double-double. And speaking of double-doubles, last night’s 23 points & 11 boards was his 28th double-double of the season, good for 14th most in the league. Randle has relied heavily on his ability to attack the paint, both on offense & defense, to put up these impressive numbers. Scoring in the paint is easy money for Randle. He scores 67% of the time down low, from an average distance of 7 feet away from the basket. His combination of power & finesse in the post is that of a player far beyond his years &, the way he attacks the rim with a graceful violence is a truly beautiful sight. We all know he needs to improve his jumpshot; he only scores 9% of his points off jumpshots. While it still needs work, over the last few games you can see he’s getting more confident in it, taking more mid-range shots off pick-n-pops & face-up iso’s.

(Associated Press)

Russell got his starting spot locked in a game later, & has averaged 18 points on 46% shooting, with 5 assists & 3 rebounds over the last 10 games. To say the beginning of Russell’s NBA career has been a rollercoaster of emotions would be an understatement. Despite all the up’s & down’s, Russell has managed to play fairly well, especially for a rookie. He is fourth amongst rookies in scoring(13.3 ppg) & 3-point percentage(36%). His numbers recently have improved compared to his overall season averages, but the most important part of his game that’s improved isn’t measured by numbers. Ever since becoming a starter, Russell’s swagger has been at an all time high. He’s always been confident in his game, even when it seemed he wasn’t sure of himself. But now that he knows he’s got the starting spot, he doesn’t feel he has to do things to appease Scott that are outside of his comfort zone in order to get more minutes. He’s finally able to let loose & play his game. He looks more comfortable on the floor & his confidence on the court is almost palpable. I think a big misconception about Russell’s game is that because he’s such an excellent passer with exceptional court vision, he needs to be a Rondo-type point guard. But he’s actually a natural scorer who just-so-happens to be an excellent passer. He’s an above-average shooter from both mid-range & deep with a quick release. He’s crafty maneuvering through the paint, both with & without the ball. And people forget how big D’Lo is for a point guard. At 6'5" & 195 lbs, he uses his size advantage to take his opponents down low where he can make them pay with his very underrated post-game. We all saw what D’Lo is capable of when he puts it all together in the now infamous “ICE IN MY VEINS” game. This change in philosophy about Russell’s game has lead to not just his increase in scoring, but his overall flow & management of the offense.

I was all for Scott’s “tough love” approach in the beginning. Nothing is just going to be given to you, no matter how high of a draft pick you are. If you want something, you have to work hard for it & earn it & show you’ve got what it takes to deserve it. Restricting their minutes until he feels they’ve earned them will only do them good by motivating them to work harder & improve their game to get back on the court. Where I had a problem was with Scott talking down to the young guys, almost belittling them. Taking almost personal shots at a player, especially two young players who are you last two lottery picks, is almost always career suicide, or in this case, homicide. These kind of comments could have broken the young duo. They took it personally, but instead of letting it break them, they used it to fuel their fire & motivate them to tell Scott “I’ll show you old man”. And they’ve definitely shown Scott & everyone what they’re made of.

Russell & Randle have come a long way this season. They’ve been at the top, were sent down to the bottom & climbed their way back up. Despite all the second-guessing about whether the Lakers were better off taking Okafer or Mudiay or if Randle could come back after his injury, the young guns have shaken off all the hate & are playing terrifically. And at only 20 & 21 years old, Russell & Randle are only going to improve their game & learn how play better with each other & fellow Lakers like Jordan Clarkson. As long as they keep playing well, getting better & making sweet plays like that one up there, the future looks pretty bright for the purple & gold.