D’Angelo Russell is perfect starter for Lakers’ youth movement

As the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting point guard, D’Angelo Russell has become the key to a youth movement that could define the team’s future.

With the 2nd pick in the 2015 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected star prospect D’Angelo Russell to be a vital piece in their new youth movement. No matter how legendary Kobe Bryant has been for the last 19 years, they simply can’t hold onto the idea of The Black Mamba carrying them to success any longer.

At 37 years of age, that traditional dream and expectation is fading quicker and quicker.

Across their entire roster, the Lakers now have nine players who have spent three seasons or less in the NBA. It’s just time for them to move on, and that’s precisely what they’re doing with the backcourt duo of D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, in addition to the emerging frontcourt force that is Julius Randle.

The offseason signing of Roy Hibbert at center carries promise, as he still provides the kind of interior presence and rim protection that can anchor the Lakers’ defense. He held opponents to just 42.7 percent shooting at the rim last season, and that kind of dominance when protecting the basket can’t be overlooked. Especially when the Lakers ranked a dismal 29th in defensive efficiency last season.

However, despite Hibbert being a welcome addition for those reasons, and the arrival of another run-and-gun shooter in Lou Williams, the Lakers’ future rests primarily on the shoulders of three players who are still waiting to make their mark on the league. A mark that needs to become All-Star worthy if they’re going to live up to the expectation that has always surrounded the Lakers as the second most successful franchise in NBA history.

Before starting unrealistic and premature predictions for the Lakers’ young trio, though, the arrival of Russell as the new starter needs some attention.

We saw what Clarkson could do last season, as he used his great length and athleticism as a 6’5″ combo guard to burst to the rim, run the floor, and electrify Staples Center while producing 17.1 points and 5 assists per 36 minutes. He’s an emerging star and could quite possibly be the best player the Lakers have this season. Then there’s Randle. Who, after breaking his leg just 14 minutes into his rookie season in 2014-15, has been putting on a show since summer league started. From his aggression when attacking the basket to his nifty footwork in the post, he has the skill to add some diversity to the Lakers’ reliance on perimeter shooting.

With players such as Nick Young and of course Kobe, they shot just 34.4 percent from deep to rank 18th in three point percentage last season. Add on too many isolation plays and long twos, and it’s not surprising that they ranked 23rd in offensive efficiency. Furthermore, that lack of ball movement and stagnant offense meant the Lakers also ranked a mere 24th in assist percentage with 16.1.

So, when you compare that statistic to the two conference winners (the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors), who just so happened to rank 1st and 2nd in the same category, the Lakers are clearly going to struggle if they can’t move the ball.

And as the San Antonio Spurs have also made so clear in recent history, ball movement is often the key to a championship offense.

This is where Russell comes into the picture as such an important player.

The talents he brings to the floor are what the Lakers desperately need. Not just to help them improve on their worst record in 58 years, but to develop them into a group that can actually play team basketball. Russell averaged five assists per game in college with the Ohio State Buckeyes, and displayed the kind of vision and creative passing ability that’s extremely rare in 19 year old rookies.

In fact, his facilitating is so good that Kobe went as far as describing his vision as “astronomical”. That’s high praise from a man who won’t even give you a “good job” unless it’s well and truly earned.

Although, for a Lakers team who need a pass-first player among all their freestyle shot creators, Russell needs to be near astronomical if they want to want to leave the memory of 21 wins in 2014-15 behind them.

Plus, if adding yet another trigger-happy guard like Williams into the mix is going to work, Russell needs to be the man who can keep the ball moving and create equally good looks for the entire team. From improving their play in transition with accurate outlet passes, to driving to the basket and creating space for shooters on the perimeter or to a cutting Randle, Russell can be the man to spark the offense with some much needed movement and energy.

In a starting role, he can ideally do that to even greater effect.

With the Kobe era slowly coming to an end, Wednesday night will be a glimpse at the young trio in regular season action for the first time.

Whether you’re excited or nervous as a Lakers fan, it’s the promising youth movement that all your hopes and dreams could be resting on for years to come.