This time last year, D’Angelo Russell was just 19 years old and heading into his first experience as an NBA player.
Russell shot just 37.7 percent at the Las Vegas Summer League while the team went 1-4. But this year — on the heels of his Second Team All-Rookie campaign — the 2015 second-overall pick has emerged as the clear leader of the Lakers’ outfit.
“He’s really taken an ownership of this Summer League squad, which is what you want to see,” Summer League head coach Jesse Mermuys said at Wednesday’s practice. “He’s communicating, he’s leading and he’s brought a very competitive level, which I feel like has set the tone for Summer League, and for the guys it’s raised everybody’s level.”
Regular-season head coach Luke Walton echoed his assistant’s analysis of Russell, pointing out that he has been working in the Lakers’ gym at least once a day, sometimes twice.
Meanwhile, the point guard himself is just happy to be out on the floor with several components of the Lakers’ young core, including newcomers Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac.
“We’re all young guys,” Russell said. “I consider us all in our first year together, so we finally get an opportunity to grind it out together and play together.”
Russell can attest to the type of expectations that Ingram — the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft — faces heading into his first Summer League.
For his part, Ingram admits that he understands why people want to see him take the game into his own hands.
“Of course I do, but I just want to play my game,” Ingram said. “I want to win. Whatever it takes to win, that’s what I’ll do.”
Walton and Mermuys, of course, would like to see their squad return from Las Vegas with a Summer League trophy. But both coaches are focused more on growth than wins.
According to Mermuys, the goal is to build a springboard for the players to jump off of once training camp rolls along in three months.
“As long as they’re playing the right way: They’re sharing the ball, moving the ball, getting better,” Walton said. “To me, that’s a success whether or not we win. I know some guys want to really win. The players should really want to win. Anytime you’re competing you should want to win. But I’m more interested in seeing the development of the way we’re playing as a unit.”
For the players, “development” can be measured several ways.
Russell has worked on his post-up game this season, while Larry Nance Jr. has focused on improving his jumper and adding a 3-point shot. Both Nance and Ingram highlighted team chemistry as an objective during this tournament.
As for the new, up-tempo system that Walton is implementing, the head coach says that his players have executed well during drills, but “naturally” had more turbulence with it during scrimmages considering the mishmash roster of sophomores, rookies and Summer League pickups.
The coaches don’t expect their team — which also includes Anthony Brown and Ivica Zubac — to have the Golden State-inspired offense perfected so early, instead preaching having patience that it will continue to develop as the season transpires.
“There’s gonna be a framework there,” Mermuys said. “But to build something special, you can’t speed it up and you’ve got to take it nice and slow. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself and leave cracks.”
For now, it’s about simply getting better and — for a highlight supplier like Nance — putting on a show.
“Obviously,” he said of his Summer League goals, “I’d like to see myself on SportsCenter a few times.”