In tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, D’Angelo Russell made one of the best mistakes of the season.
D’Angelo Russell is the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and he is definitely one of the young bright stars in the league. But, tonight, Russell showed that he is still a young player who makes mistakes here and now.
Julius Randle rolled the ball to Russell to get the drive started. Just like some point guards do to save time on the clock, Russell let the ball roll until the very last-minute. Except, he probably let the ball roll just a bit too far. Russell realized that the ball was very close to the sideline and attempted to save it by dribbling it, but instead gave all the NBA fans watching quite a show.
He tried to pick the ball up with two hands, but it quickly slipped out. Then he attempted to reach for it again, but he kicked it. Russell tried to save the ball but it went out of bounds and Russell was just grasping at straws. He fell onto the hardwood and shook his head in disbelief.
One of the best parts of this video is not Russell, but instead his teammate who inbounded the ball, Julius Randle. Randle watched Russell, making sure he had the ball and then looked down the court to run to his spot. He checked one more time to see how his point guard was doing and to his dismay saw a defeated Russell falling on the ground. Randle stopped short in his tracks and looked extremely frustrated. He looked up to the ceiling as if in disbelief that what he saw actually occurred.
Next: The Next Generation: D'Angelo Russell
If Russell could manage to make a few more plays like this then Shaq may have found his replacement for JaVale McGee.