Lakers' D'Angelo Russell on his rookie season: 'There was no guidance'
The point guard seems glad to have a fresh start with a new coaching staff
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1 min read
D'Angelo Russell took a not-so-subtle jab at former Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott and his coaching staff, telling the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli he didn't get the kind of direction he needed in his rookie season.
"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 didn't mention Scott specifically, but this is not hard to figure out. Scott criticized Russell publicly on numerous occasions last year, referring to him as entitled and immature, and he yanked his playing time around, routinely benching him in fourth quarters and making him come off the bench for 32 games. This is despite the fact that, when Russell was on the court, he was productive and showed great promise.
Since the Lakers hired coach Luke Walton, Russell has been effusive with his praise. Hilariously, he still will not directly say anything negative about Scott, but it definitely doesn't sound like Russell will miss him.
"The coaching staff, the whole atmosphere that this coaching staff brings is different," Russell told the Los Angeles Times. "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."
Sure, he's not downgrading Scott's staff. It just didn't have a winning mentality! Other than that and the complete lack of guidance, everything was perfect! Got it.
