Walton finds time for Russell
Second-year point guard is earning more minutes with his aggressive play and maturing attitude.
NEW YORK — Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell continued a pattern Friday night that he has developed since returning from his most recent injuries.
“I feel like I’m playing at a high level,” Russell said. “I feel like I’m going in the right direction as far as making plays for my teammates and trying to find my role for the team.”
Russell played 32 minutes in the Lakers’ 113-107 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday. He had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists with two turnovers. That followed two games in which Russell reached double-digit assists, though he also had seven turnovers against the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
Russell has now scored at least 15 points with at least six rebounds and six assists in three consecutive games, the longest such streak of his career. He has averaged 32 minutes in those games.
“He’s been earning more minutes with his play, honestly,” Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. “It wasn’t intentional, just a credit to the way he’s going after it. … He’s just more ready to go from the start of the games. I think as a player, even if you’re not looking to score, if you just get aggressive and get involved in the game you naturally start to feel part of what’s happening and then you start to play better.”
The distribution of playing time is an organic reward system for Walton. On a team without any established stars, Walton keeps a consistent starting lineup, when injuries don’t affect it, but minutes depend on how well someone plays.
In the three games before his injury, Russell was averaging about 24 minutes. On Jan. 17, the game before he suffered his most recent injuries, Russell was benched for the entire fourth quarter, along with forward Julius Randle.
Three days later, Russell sprained the medial collateral ligament and suffered a calf strain in his right leg. He missed the next three games because of the injuries, then returned three games ago. All the while, he has asked for help from his coaches and teammates.
“He always comes to me after practice, and he’s like, ‘Keep talking to me, don’t stop talking to me, I want to keep learning from you,’ ” veteran point guard Marcelo Huertas said. “Jose [Calderon] tries to give him advice as well. He’s one of those kids, he’s really smart. … He’s shown so much development from last season to this season, and if he keeps playing like this over the years, he’s going to be one hell of a player.”
Russell’s development is still a work in progress. He’s in his second year after being the second overall selection in the 2015 draft.
Russell sometimes turns the ball over too much, and he doesn’t always show the defensive intensity Walton wants. And though Walton likes Russell’s increased assists lately, he looks beyond just the numbers. “The assists are great, but even that’s a fine line because sometimes he gets them after, in my opinion, dribbling for too long of a possession,” Walton said.
Still, he takes heart in Russell’s recent surge.
In early January, Russell attributed his improved play to developing a daily routine. Other coaches had suggested to Russell in the past that he adopt one. This time, Lakers assistant Jesse Mermuys asked Russell to try it for January and told him if he saw no results, he could abandon it.
“So now they’ll still do it,” Walton said. “Jesse said he’s growing up a little bit, maturing a little bit. We all know he’s got talent. It’s being able to use that talent to play this position at a high level. He’s showing good signs of it.”