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Russell 'Fan of' New Coach Walton

D'Angelo Russell watched with a smile as Luke Walton spoke of bringing an up-tempo and fun style of basketball to Los Angeles.

The Lakers point guard seemed to immediately buy into his new head coach's sense of culture, then fielded questions after Walton was finished with his introductory press conference on Wednesday.

Below is a transcription of Russell's comments:

Q: On new head coach Luke Walton:
Russell:
I’m a fan of his. He had a great career coaching, playing, everything. He’s been very successful. So I’m just all ears (to) whatever he has to offer. He’s had multiple years of success coaching and playing, so it’s all good.

Q: On if he is excited to play under Walton:
Russell:
Definitely. Just in his interview, he was talking about how much fun we’re gonna have; days off from practice just resting. That’s just something that builds that chemistry off the floor. Everybody has their own personal life as far as kids and families. Just to have that chemistry with your teammates is what we do this for.

Q: On if he has talked much with Walton:
Russell:
Yeah, actually I talked to him as much as I could. (The Warriors) were in the Finals and the playoffs. I talked to him as much as I could, and I told him, “If I’m being annoying, let me know, because I have so many questions.” And he was very open toward me. He was just like, “Whatever you need. I love this game, so if you have any questions just ask them.”

Q: On if Walton gave him an idea of how he wants him to fit in the new system:
Russell:
Yeah, please don’t take this the wrong way. He didn’t compare me to Steph (Curry), but I asked him a lot about Steph, like a lot of Steph questions as far as how he got to this point, because (Walton) was around it. He was just like, “His work ethic, his dedication and this and that. The way he used the jump shot, how dangerously he used it.” I was like, “What do you see in my game that I could do?” He was like, “Just get your jump shot and ability to score the ball up to par, like he did, and have defenders not knowing if they should close out to block your shot or close out to defend you. That’s when it causes hell for other teams.”

Q: On Walton wanting to establish a “culture of joy”:
Russell:
I think that’s what we need. A lot of us are coming out of college. We’ve got a few vets on the team, (but) a lot of us are coming out of college and just want to be able to experience and play and have fun. That’s all he said. He just mentioned having fun and being able to run as much as possible. I think that’s what we need.

Q: On the Lakers drafting with the second-overall pick:
Russell:
I’m looking forward to it. The Draft is definitely exciting, especially when people assume something’s gonna happen and it doesn’t happen. It just opens up for everybody else. We got No. 2 and 32. I’m just looking forward to it to see who we get.

Q: On if he is eager to start back up again:
Russell:
Yeah, I was just talking to Coach (Brian) Shaw. He was saying he’s gonna be here tomorrow morning. I’m like, “Let’s get it. Let’s go.” I’m excited, man. I got a hoodie on and I’m sweating right now. I’ve been here for like three or four hours training. Coaches are in here. I’m like, “Let’s go more.”

Q: On if he is excited hearing Walton talk about bringing joy and fun to the game:
Russell:
It got me excited right now. I’m like, “Let’s go.” I’m ready for Summer League. I’m ready for the first game. I’m ready for preseason. I’m ready for the first practice. I’m ready for all of that.

Q: On if he thinks free agents will be attracted to Walton’s style of basketball:
Russell:
Yeah, Golden State is very successful, and what they did wasn’t a secret. They had fun. They played together. They were a team, and a lot of teams are like that and are successful. And a lot of teams aren’t like that and are very unsuccessful. There’s no secret to it. Everybody just wants to be around a team that wins, especially a lot of the vets in this league or young guys that are like, “Let’s have fun and win.”

Q: On being part of the start of the post-Kobe Bryant era:
Russell:
I trust the process. The process is being one of those playoff and Finals contenders. (Walton) knows what it takes and he’s got a coaching staff around him so far that’s definitely been a part of it, and they know what it takes. So like I said, I’m just a sponge to everything these guys have to offer.