L.A. Lakers Coach Luke Walton Needs to Invest More in D'Angelo Russell's Future
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers guard Lou Williams grabbed the rebound off DeMarcus Cousins' missed free throw and rushed the ball up the court in the final seconds with his team down to the Sacramento Kings by a single point.
Dogged by former UCLA Bruin Darren Collison, Williams pulled up on the right side of the arc but his three-point attempt did not fall.
The Kings (24-32) kept their playoff hopes alive while the Lakers (19-38), by losing 97-96, protected their spot in the NBA draft lottery with the third-worst record in the league.
Coach Luke Walton could have called a timeout, but Williams had the ball in his hand already with 19 scored in the period and the Kings trying to match up in transition.
Williams shot it early and under pressure. Twenty-two in the fourth wasn't in the cards.
The Lakers gave the home crowd an exciting finish but not for the right reasons. Williams ended with 29 points in 24.5 minutes but second-year guard D'Angelo Russell only got 23.5 minutes on the court—sitting the entire final period.
Admittedly, Russell wasn't playing as well as Williams, missing six of nine shots with just one assist against five turnovers, but Walton needs to prioritize Russell's development over Williams' scoring punch late in games.
"We're going to try to get minutes for the experience of these young guys, but we were down 16 and they kind of fought back and got us a chance to win the game," Walton said of his lineup of Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Luol Deng, Nick Young and Williams.
"It was rewarding the players that started playing together, bringing that energy, attacking on defense and making plays," he continued.
Throughout the season, Walton has preached that his rotations will be based on the meritocracy of the given night. Those who earn the time will, for the most part, get the crunch-time minutes.
It's a sound philosophy.
"He pretty much goes with who is playing well at the time and that's the best way to go about it," Russell said.
But then why did Walton sub out Deng for rookie Brandon Ingram down the stretch?
"Luol was doing a good job for us in that group too, but I wanted Brandon to get those final three minutes of a close game," Walton said. "I put Brandon in there for experience purposes."
That too makes sense. The Lakers are grooming one of the youngest players in the league in Ingram, the team's No. 2 pick in June's NBA draft.
Ingram is loaded with potential but is still learning how to best use his gifts in the NBA while playing with a rail-thin body.
Of course, it was just last year when Russell was struggling to do the same. One-year removed and the Lakers 2015 No. 2 pick still needs extra time on the court to discover his own potential.
"D'Angelo knows what it's like. He played all last year and this year," Walton said. "He has that experience now obviously. We want more, but we're also trying to get experience for [Clarkson.] If he's a part of a group, he earned that opportunity to finish a game."
"You can make the case that we put [Russell] in for Lou, but Lou was obviously having the game he was having," he continued. "We weren't going to take him out. All those things balance when it comes to deciding that."
Walton makes sense. What lesson does it send to bench a player who is amassing 19 points in 12 minutes?
Clarkson is in his third year but like Ingram and Russell, he needs time on the court to grow as a player.
Young was slotted at small forward in the fourth, playing almost 10 productive minutes without taking a shot. He didn't add a point individually, and the Lakers outscored the Kings by 12 with Young on the floor in that stretch.
On the micro level, Walton's rotation isn't wrong. He made the best choices he could on the fly during a game the Lakers nearly pulled out. On the macro level, what do the Lakers gain in wins or close losses when a veteran like Williams is closing out games over Russell?
Julius Randle also sat out the period, but at least the minutes went to Nance.
Walton's logic for Ingram needs to envelop the rest of the team's youth movement. Timofey Mozgov has been benched in favor of Tarik Black with rookie Ivica Zubac getting minutes on the second unit.
That same logic needs to apply to Williams and Young, even if the Lakers struggle to score without them.
"It's Brandon's first year, so every chance we get to get him to feel what it's like guarding different players, being in when you're down 15, being in when you're up 15, a one-point game with two minutes left at home versus on the road," Walton said. "It's something that we need to get him now so when he gets in the offseason, he kind of knows what to expect going forward in his career."
Yes, Russell has seen more of those situations than Ingram, but he still hasn't mastered much of it yet.
Russell does some things well, averaging 14 points and 4.7 assists in just 26.4 minutes a game, but he's turning the ball over at a 2.7 clip while shooting just 39.4 percent from the field, according to Basketball-reference.com.
As a developing starting point guard on a non-playoff team, Russell needs to be on the court for at least 30 minutes a night.
Walton is coaching to win games, but he recognizes that Ingram's development is important for the Lakers' long-term success. He needs to use that same standard with Russell.
Lakers Insider Notebook
Williams On the Block?
If the Lakers make a trade before the NBA's February 23 trade deadline, Williams may be the player most likely to be dealt.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype reported on Tuesday, "A general manager confirmed that the Lakers have, in fact, shopped Williams and seem likely to move him prior to the deadline."
Almost two dozen teams are still vying for 16 postseason berths. An ideal trade partner would be a playoff hopeful looking to bolster its bench while giving up draft considerations and/or young talent for the Lakers' leading scorer (18.5 points a game).
The 30-year-old Williams is under contract at $7 million a season through 2017-18.
Perhaps Russell's short minutes are a product of the Lakers showcasing Williams for a trade. Even if true, the veteran guard did his best to discount trade rumors after the loss.
"I'm a little old school in my approach," Williams said. "I play for the team that I have the jersey on for ... if something happens it happens. If it don't, it don't. I'm going to compete for the Lakers right now."
The Lakers must decide if Williams will be an important part of the team's rotation next year or if there's a trade to be found over the next week that might help further their rebuilding effort.
If they are concerned about their position in June's NBA draft, Williams becomes more expendable given his high-volume scoring can help keep the Lakers in games they may be better off losing.
The same can be said of Young, who can opt out of his contract after the season to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Magic Abstract to Young Lakers
Magic Johnson, who was recently named an advisor to Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss, last led the Lakers to a championship in 1988, before most of the current roster was even born.
"I did not grow up watching Magic," said Nance. "I got to see him play Hardwood Classic games against my dad in black and white, but I haven't gotten to sit down and watch him play."
Magic played in the color TV era, not in the 1950s, but both were before Nance's time.
"Obviously, you know everything he was capable of. You see highlights and stuff like that," Nance said. "It's a lot like Michael Jordan. I don't think our generation truly understands how great of a player he really was."
"Kobe [Bryant]. That's my Jordan," he continued. "[Kevin Garnett], [Tim] Duncan, Dirk [Nowitzki], that whole class of guys leaving last year and this year were my guys.
It's the generations of players that came before that are abstract to the young Lakers.
"When people talk about how great they were, I believe it, I just didn't get to see it," Nance said. "Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] is another one who's outside my realm of knowledge. I know what he was, but I have no visual representation of it."
Teammate Black may have a greater appreciation for Johnson, stemming from a childhood moment.
"Magic really inspired me; he came to the Freedom Awards when my mom worked at the National Rights Museum," Black said. "I was probably like 12 or 13, and he gave a speech that was so impactful that to this date, it's been my motto."
"He said, and I'm paraphrasing, that basketball was his vehicle but it didn't define who he was. It was a vehicle he was blessed to have, but it gave him a platform to do something bigger and better. I've always tried to live my life in the same manner."
Even for Black, it's difficult for him to understand Johnson's impact on the NBA as a brand, but he's willing to do his homework.
"You have to understand that when you start talking about the greatest of all time ... you have to see these guys," Black said. "Just to have him back in the organization is great. Even if he just walked in the locker room, he's just an inspiration."
"Magic's precision with his passes ... he's running the floor full speed, looking ahead and [the ball is gone] and it's like, 'How did he see that?'" continued Black. "But a guy like Magic, playing 1 through 5 in the Final? Hook shot, pulled a Kareem at the free throw line on the [Boston] Celtics? Come on, this is stuff you're going to see."
Russell, Ingram. Young Representing Lakers in New Orleans
After the Lakers visit the Phoenix Suns (17-39) on Wednesday night, they'll get a week off for the All-Star break.
While most of the team will be on vacation, Russell, Ingram and Young will travel to New Orleans to participate in some of the All-Star festivities.
Both Russell and Ingram will represent the Lakers on Friday night as teammates on the American team of freshmen and sophomore players, taking on the foreign-born squads of first and second-year players.
"I just want to have fun, win and have fun at the same time," Russell said.
Young will participate in Saturday night's three-point shootout against some of best shooters in the league including Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon, C.J. McCollum, Wesley Matthews and Kemba Walker.
"I can't wait to see how it goes, see how I match up with these guys," Young said. "I've gotta get some kind of trophy for [the Lakers]."
Young didn't quite get a chance to practice by shooting off of racks, but he's confident enough to recommend himself as the favorite in the contest.
"It's an easy bet," he said.
Young has hit 41.7 percent from behind the three-point arc this season, second to Black, who was credited with his first make of the season on Tuesday against the Kings.
Black was forced to rush only his second attempt of the season to help the Lakers beat the 24-second clock.
"He did recognize it," Walton said. "I'll take that shot over a shot-clock violation."
While the ball didn't actually float through the hoop, the goal-tended attempt makes Black the team leader at 50 percent on just two tries.
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats are accurate as of February 15. Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: @EricPincus.
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