The barriers no longer stand in front of D'Angelo Russell. He has a coach who will develop him more with positive reinforcement than frequent criticism. He is now leading a Lakers team instead of deferring to a Hall-of-Fame teammate. He also has an extra year of experience that taught him various lessons in work habits, maturity and basketball expertise.
But even if Russell feels empowered in his second season, he does not feel encouraged that unnamed general managers voted him fourth in an NBA.com poll on which players are most likely to have a breakout season.
"It don't matter to me," Russell said. "It's still up to me to perform. GMs aren't playing."
Russell maintained he would feel more impressed if general managers predicted he would win an NBA championship, win a regular-season or Finals MVP award or become the league's most improved player. He enters the Lakers' preseason finale against the Phoenix Suns on Friday at Honda Center averaging a team-leading 17.9 points on 46.7 percent shooting and 5.3 assists in 29.5 minutes per game.
"I just want a winning season," Russell said. "I'm not really about myself right now. It's about winning."
Lakers coach Luke Walton has called for Russell to balance his scoring and passing instincts, while also sharpening defensive principles. Yet, Walton has made Russell feel empowered in various ways, including his free-flowing offense and encouraging Russell to make plays as he sees fit. Walton also has expressed optimism Russell will excel defensively.
"D'Angelo can have a good season," Walton said. "Just having that first year under his belt, you can see what the NBA season is like and you can make adjustments to your game. I think that experience and the work he's put in this offseason so far is going to lead him to have a successful season."
