D’Angelo Russell came into the NBA in Kobe Bryant’s shadow and it showed on the court.
Now we’re hearing from the Lakers point guard himself about how Kobe’s farewell tour made his acclamation to the NBA that much more difficult:
“He deserved it; it was his time,” Russell said of Bryant. “They expected so much from so many people, and then Kobe had his farewell tour, and it was just like, we put everything we had, expectations for everybody else, on hold. We gotta get through Kobe’s farewell tour and then we can continue with our process. So we kind of accepted that.”
“Everything I went through was new, and there was no guidance from the people that were supposed to give me the guidance,” Russell said.
Russell’s issues with the Lakers coaching staff; particularly, former head coach Byron Scott, are well-documented. While most knew the adjustment for the Lakers youngsters would be difficult in itself, it seems the team was actually willing to sacrifice an entire season of their development to manage Kobe’s exit.
Russell also referred to new coach Luke Walton’s different approach.
“I feel like if I came into the league this year, in this environment, it wouldn’t have been as tough,” Russell said. “Even if Kobe was here, it still wouldn’t have been as tough. The coaching staff, the whole atmosphere that this coaching staff brings is different. I’m not saying better, I’m not downgrading the last coaching staff. I’m just saying the atmosphere they bring every day is a winning mentality.”
The Lakers did a solid job giving Kobe Bryant all the attention he could handle in his last year playing, but they either squandered a valuable NBA season, or placed Byron Scott in prime position to fail at his job.