D’Angelo Russell Discusses Being A Leader On This Lakers Team
Game Recap: Lakers Start Season With Big Win Over Rockets
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The void left by Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers is large and covers a lot of different things both on and off the court. One of the most important things Kobe brought to the team was leadership, and with him gone, many are looking towards D’Angelo Russell to take over in that role.

The Lakers brought in a few veterans such as Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov, and Jose Calderon, but it was Russell who head coach Luke Walton consistently spoke highly of throughout the offseason, complimenting his leadership during Summer League as well as in workouts and training camp.

Despite everyone seemingly looking towards him to take over as the undisputed leader of the new-look Lakers, Russell told Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders that the leadership comes from the entire team:

“You can’t really give that leadership quality to anybody, or that role to anybody,” Russell said. “It’s just gotta be a team thing. It slowly just builds on players. For me, I know that when adversity sets in, I just try to respond the right way.”

Russell may believe that it’s about the entire team, but there is no doubt that there is a ton of responsibility on him as both the point guard and arguably the face of the franchise. How he has handled that has impressed veteran Lou Williams:

“I couldn’t imagine being 19, 20 years old with so much responsibility on your shoulders,” Lakers veteran Lou Williams said. “I think he’s handled it well, with a lot of grace.”

Things are only going to get tougher from here for Russell. As he grows and gains more experience in the NBA, his expectations both as a leader and a player will continue to increase.

If he can thrive under these circumstances, he should come out of the other end a better player and person, ready to lead the Lakers back into the NBA’s upper echelon.

You May Also Like

Austin Reaves Appreciates Passion & Accountability From JJ Redick Following Lakers’ First Loss

One of the players who seems to be benefitting greatly from the changes head coach JJ Redick has brought in to the Los Angeles Lakers…

Lakers’ Odds of Winning Title in 2013 Improve with Addition of Steve Nash

The acquisition of Steve Nash by the Los Angeles Lakers made a…

LeBron James Recalls First Meeting With Michael Jordan Being ‘Godly’

Long regarded as the best to ever grace the hardwood, Michael Jordan has served as the gold standard for countless players who both came up short or did reach…

Three Takeaways From The Lakers Road Win Over The Suns

The Los Angeles Lakers ended their eight game losing streak Thursday night with a 122-110 road win over the Phoenix Suns…