If you thought the Lakers' 2015-16 season was like a bad reality show with basketballs, you weren't alone.
With an offseason to reflect, guard D'Angelo Russell called his rookie season in LA "Looney Toons" and admitted Kobe Bryant's early retirement announcement changed the dynamic of the team.
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“He deserved it; it was his time,” Russell told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. “They expected so much from so many people, and then Kobe had his farewell tour, and it was just like, we put everything we had, expectations for everybody else, on hold. We've got to get through Kobe’s farewell tour and then we can continue with our process, so we kind of accepted that.”
Russell, the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, had an up-and-down rookie season that included long stretches on the bench, a reported feud with then-coach Byron Scott and a highly publicized falling-out with teammate Nick Young. He averaged 13.2 points and 3.3 assists.
The Lakers switched coaches following a franchise-worst 17-65 season last year, bringing in Luke Walton to help mold the young team. It sounds as though the young franchise point guard has already gotten acclimated to the new staff.
“I feel like if I came into the league this year, in this environment, it wouldn’t have been as tough,” Russell said. “Even if Kobe was here, it still wouldn’t have been as tough. The coaching staff, the whole atmosphere that this coaching staff brings, is different. I’m not saying better, I’m not downgrading the last coaching staff.
"I’m just saying the atmosphere they bring every day is a winning mentality."