D'Angelo Russell was benched on Monday and bumped out of the Lakers' starting lineup. Initially, he didn't seem very happy about the demotion to the second unit, but after the game he did find at least one silver lining.
D’Angelo Russell implies it’s easier to play when Kobe Bryant isn’t hogging every shot
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Russell on 2nd unit: "There's just more ball movement. No disrespect to Kobe, but you know you have more opportunity because of who he is."
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 8, 2015 While that may come off like Russell is criticizing Kobe Bryant, he's really just stating a fact. Bryant is averaging 18 shots per game in a little more than 31 minutes. When he's on the floor, he shoots a lot and has the ball in his hands even more. There are only so many shots to go around and because he is Kobe, many players defer to him. That's all true and obvious. When Bryant isn't on the floor there are more shots to go around. There's better ball movement with fewer players deferring to Bryant.
Is Russell saying it’s easier to play without Bryant the focal point of the offense? Yes. Is he wrong? No. That doesn’t mean he’s saying anything bad about Bryant. He isn’t saying Bryant shouldn’t take that many shots, he’s simply and accurately saying there are more opportunities on offense when Bryant is resting.
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