NBA teams
J.A. Adande, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

It's OK for Lakers not to rush D'Angelo Russell

NBA, Los Angeles Lakers

The D'Angelo Russell story didn't end when he stopped starting. It's a hard sell to the eager rookie point guard and the NBA's least-patient fan base, but less playing time for Russell now could mean better times down the road.

And in an era when there's scrutiny for minutes played over the course of a season and blame for the accumulation of minutes over the course of a career, why burn extra minutes now? Doesn't it make sense to save some of the finite allotment of productive NBA minutes for later, when both Russell and the Lakers will presumably be better?

It's not as if Russell is scraping for minutes as it is. Despite the notion that he's being cruelly suppressed by coach Byron Scott, Russell is actually fourth among rookies in minutes played at 28.4 per game, ahead of the two most celebrated members of the class: Karl-Anthony Towns (28.3) and Kristaps Porzingis (27.3). He also is not the only rookie point guard to sit down in fourth quarters. Have you noticed Denver coach Mike Malone going with veteran Jameer Nelson over Emmanuel Mudiay down the stretch in close games lately?

Scott's handling of Russell reminds me of the way Paul Silas broke in Baron Davis during Davis' rookie year with the Charlotte Hornets in 1999-2000. Davis came off the bench in all 82 games and averaged only 19 minutes.

"I'm still mad," Davis said this week.

"But what I did learn was, it humbled me. It made me hungry. I didn't want to be the third pick in the draft and come off the bench. It made me stay in the gym the whole next summer until that next season. I had so much to prove. Whoever was starting in front of me, my mentality was to take him out."

David Wesley started ahead of him in Davis' rookie year, then shifted to shooting guard after Eddie Jones was traded to the Miami Heat in the offseason, clearing the way for Davis to join the starting five. Davis started all 82 games in Year 2, averaging 14 points and seven assists and leading the Hornets past the Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

If Russell's career follows the same takeoff trajectory, the Lakers will start to see a return on their investment, which cost them their highest draft pick since 1982. The early yields weren't so promising, with Russell averaging 12 points and three assists while shooting 40 percent. It works both ways. If Russell can't expect immediate gratification from and old-school coach who believes minutes must be earned, we shouldn't expect immediate star-level production from a 19-year-old whose résumé consists of one season of Big Ten basketball and two NCAA tournament games.

"Better days are coming," Davis said. "That's what I would say. His best days are ahead of him.

"I remember being a rookie and sitting on the bench. You're frustrated because you want to help, you want to find your rhythm. At the same time, the season is early. He's just trying to figure out who he is and how he can impose his personality on the game. When you watch it, it's a lot going on for him.

"This is all growth. It's a part of becoming a great player. When you look at a lot of the great point guards, not all of them came in the league and killed it initially. He needs to take this as an opportunity to find his voice."

Russell was singing on Wednesday night. Kobe Bryant stepped offstage and handed the microphone to Russell, who scored a then-career high 23 points and sent the Lakers' game against the Timberwolves into overtime with a hanging jumper in the lane.

It's hard to imagine Bryant staying silent for the duration of his time in a Lakers uniform, so if it was a preview of things to come, it's likely a far-off future. Next year, when Bryant is gone and it's Russell's turn. But not necessarily right now. Not yet.

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