Okay, I can’t guarantee that but I feel pretty good about his chances.
Lost in this NBA season of the Warriors historic march towards greatness, the Spurs continued excellence (19 seasons and counting) and the potential end of the Thunder (at least in its current iteration), sits the Lakers and their 2015 first round draft pick D’Angelo Russell.
You may be asking yourself, who cares about a team that’s been eliminated from the playoff race since December? You may also be asking, isn’t Russell that kid from The Ohio State University (shout to BSO Prez Rob Littal) who isn’t who we thought he was? You are definitely asking, isn’t he the kid with ice in his veins?! All valid and true.
In a recent Bleacher Report article by Kevin Ding, Russell comes across as your classic alpha male, omnipresent in today’s sports culture. Arrogant and cocky maybe, but definitely confident. Let’s be honest, to make it to the NBA (there are only 450 player jobs available) you need to have a healthy mix of all three characteristics and more.
Russell has a front row seat this season to the Kobe Bryant farewell tour. Another alpha male who we can use the above mentioned characteristics and more to describe. When asked about Kobe, Russell says:
“I don’t want people to just think, ‘He’s got some Kobe-like [characteristics].” “I don’t want to go there. I want to be me—and people know it’s me.” According to Shaq on a recent TNT broadcast he mentioned Russell in a conversation about Kobe, “He’s wired like us.” High praise from the Big Aristotle.
While he possesses the confidence befitting a superstar, knows that the only way to achieve greatness is through work, work work work (shout to Ri Ri) and wants to be his own man, following the example of those before him in his own way might just lead to the ultimate prize.
Yes D’Angelo we know it’s you, and if you’re anything “Kobe-like” you too will be a star, win championships and return the Lakers to glory.