D'Angelo Russell Seems to Be Doing Much Better When Surrounded By Real Coaches

D’Angelo Russell had a decent rookie season (13.2 points, 3.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds) last year. Especially when you consider… everything. Kobe Bryant didn’t seem like he was as interested in a mentor role as he was with accepting gifts and ovations from opposing crowds. He got himself involved in a celebrity relationship and was ostracized by his teammates. Then there were the distractions of living in Los Angeles.

All that considered, the biggest hurdle he faced was the coaching of Byron Scott. Coach Scott is great when he has a transcendent talent leading his team – Chris Paul in New Orleans or Jason Kidd in New Jersey – but he’s just 105 – 298 over the last 7 years. The entirety of Scott’s work last season was sitting his young players and asking the team if they’d ever been in a fist fight.

Needless to say, Russell is really enjoying his post-Scott career. First he got hooked up with Luke Walton and dominated Summer League and now he’s practicing with Team USA and getting to talk to Gregg Popovich. Presumably, Coach Pop wasn’t giving tips on throwing a jab.

" The learning never stops for @Dloading ? #??? pic.twitter.com/SCE2IMNI4e — Andrew Martinez (@IamDrewInLA) July 22, 2016 "