It took one game after the All-Star break but Byron Scott fulfilled his promise and moved D’Angelo Russell into the starting lineup, a role the Lakers coach said the rookie guard will be in for the rest of the year.
Scott has shown a tough love approach to Russell all season long and after starting the No. 2 overall pick early in the season, the Lakers head coach moved him to a bench role. Russell has had his ups and downs but overall has shown a lot of promise.
From ESPN’s Baxter Holmes:
"It was just time," Scott said when asked why he moved Russell back to the starting lineup, where Russell spent the first 20 games before being moved to the bench in December.
"Each month he has seemed to get better," Scott continued. "He's really starting to understand what this game is all about. He still needs to pick it up at times. Obviously on both ends he needs to continue to work, but I like what I saw [Sunday], and I like what I've been seeing from him over the last couple months."
"It was just time," Scott said when asked why he moved Russell back to the starting lineup, where Russell spent the first 20 games before being moved to the bench in December.
"Each month he has seemed to get better," Scott continued. "He's really starting to understand what this game is all about. He still needs to pick it up at times. Obviously on both ends he needs to continue to work, but I like what I saw [Sunday], and I like what I've been seeing from him over the last couple months."
As a starter, Russell’s minutes in the Lakers’ last two games didn’t change that much from when he was a reserve, but simply being a starter is a different role and something on which Russell can start to build his confidence. Not all minutes, after all, are created equal.
Here are this week’s Rookie Power Rankings:
1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week #1) -- Towns had a solid double--double of 11 points and 15 rebounds in his first game back from the All-Star break on Friday. He probably just needed this one game to get his NBA legs back after such an extended rest period because Towns was a monster in Minnesota’s next two games. In a loss to the Knicks on Saturday, Towns finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and 3 blocks. He followed that up with a 28-point, 13-rebound, four-assist and two-block effort in a win against the Celtics on Monday. Towns is now fifth (tied with DeMarcus Cousins) in the league with 32 double-doubles and he leads all rookies in rebounds.
2. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks (#2) -- In a matchup against Towns on Saturday, Porzingis had perhaps one of the the worst games of his rookie season. He picked up four fouls in a little under 12 minutes and shot 2-of-6 from the field. Porzingis did put together two solid games last week, though -- a decent 17-point effort in a loss to the Raptors and a nice all-around 18-point, eight-rebound, three-block performance in a loss to the Nets. Porzingis has gone through some ups and downs in his rookie year and that has caused Towns to surge past him in the Rookie of the Year race.
3. Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia 76ers (#3) -- Okafor is offensively gifted and scores with ease from the post but both his defensive issues and passing ability are yet to make any marked improvement. He is, of course, still just 20 years old and will likely learn how to be more of a complete player. Okafor is quite skilled though as evidenced by his performance against the Mavs on Sunday when he finished with 31 points and eight rebounds.
4. Justise Winslow, Miami Heat (#10) -- Perhaps using his snub from the Rising Stars Challenge as motivation, Winslow returned from the All-Star break with a more aggressive offensive game. An excellent defender, in Miami’s last three games, Winslow has scored in double figures, a rare feat for the Heat rookie since he has only reached double digits in points seven times this season. He had an excellent game against the Pacers on Monday, playing strong defense on Paul George and finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Winslow is averaging 14 points, 7.3 rebounds and two steals in his last three games.
5. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers (#9) -- Turner continues to impress on both ends of the floor. He blocked six shots against the Thunder on Friday and has scored in double figures in his last three games. Indiana has been giving Turner a larger role offensively and he has handled it quite well, not backing down from the challenge. The Pacers have a real building block for the future in Turner with Paul George’s return to stardom, Indiana has a promising future. In Indiana’s last three games, Turner is averaging 14.7 points, six rebounds and 3.7 blocks.
6. Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets (#5) -- Mudiay slides down a spot after a rough game against the Kings on Friday, where he shot a dismal 28.6 percent and recorded five turnovers. He did bounce back in Denver’s next game against the Celtics on Monday by finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Mudiay continues to lead all rookies in assists (5.8), a mark he has held for the majority of the season.
7. D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers (#6) -- Russell is back as the Lakers starting point guard and the added responsibility for the rest of the season should help his game grow and develop. In his starting role against the Bulls on Sunday, Russell scored 15 points and dished out six assists. He followed that up with a nice all-around nine point, five rebound, four assist performance against the Bucks on Monday.He is third among rookies in assists (averaging 3.4 a game) and fourth in scoring (averaging 12.1 points a game).
8. Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons (#8) -- Johnson sprained his shoulder against the Cavs on Monday and will now unfortunately be out for at least two weeks. Detroit will miss his versatility while he’s out. In his last three games, Johnson averaged seven points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists and has proven all year to be an emerging all-around threat.
9. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (#7) -- Jokic’s first game after the All-Star break was a real dud as he picked up four fouls in less than four minutes against the Kings on Friday. He then rattled off two straight double-doubles, including a performance of 23 points and 13 rebounds against the Celtics on Sunday. Jokic is a solid passer (averaging 1.9 assists) --good enough for eighth among rookies.
10. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (#9) -- After showing that he is one of the better shooters in the league in the Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend, Booker shot the ball pretty poorly in his first three game backs from break. He shot 27.3 percent against the Rockets on Friday, 33.3 percent against the Spurs on Sunday and 20 percent against the Clippers on Monday. Booker was able to do other things against the Spurs though, recording six rebounds and four assists. He may just be in a bit of slump right now as Booker has proven thus far to be one of the better rookies in his class. But not a great week.
11. Willie Cauley-Stein, Sacramento Kings (#13) -- Cauley-Stein’s minutes have fluctuated a bit since the All-Star break but he has been quite productive when he plays. He had a nice game against the Nuggets on Friday scoring 10 points and blocking three shots in a little over 14 minutes. And then against the Nuggets on Tuesday, Cauley-Stein scored 10 points, blocked two shots and grabbed five rebounds in 23 minutes. Averaging 1.2 blocks a game, Cauley-Stein is fourth among rookies in rejections.
12. T.J. McConnell, Philadelphia 76ers (#15) -- McConnell suffered a nasty looking ankle injury against the Magic on Tuesday and had to leave the game in the second half. He is listed as doubtful for Philadelphia’s next game and will likely miss some time -- which should make an already weak Sixers team even weaker. McConnell has been a solid backup guard for the Sixers all season and is averaging 4.7 assists a game, which is second among all rookies.
13. Jonathon Simmons, San Antonio Spurs (Unranked) -- With Manu Ginobili being injured for quite some time, Simmons’ role has increased in San Antonio. A solid defender, Simmons is averaging 6.3 points and three rebounds overSan Antonio’s last three games. Really, is it any surprise to see another young, somewhat unheralded Spurs player finding success in that system?
14. Frank Kaminsky, Charlotte Hornets (#12) -- Kaminsky got his first career start against the Bucks on Friday but didn’t take advantage of the promotion. He was back to his usual bench role in the following game. Kaminsky is a fine player but he has some defensive deficiencies and when you watch him, it is quite easy to tell that he is a rookie due to some of the decisions he makes on the court.
15. Cameron Payne, Oklahoma City Thunder (#14) -- With the arrival of Randy Foye, Payne’s minutes have been trending downward as it looks like Billy Donovan is leaning toward giving the veteran guard more playing time with the playoffs just around the corner. Donovan turned the Thunder’s second unit over to Payne midway through the season, which is one reason why they traded away D.J. Augustin but it looks like the rookie may be heading back to a limited role.
