“Let’s put you in position to have a career year.” That was JJ Redick’s message to D’Angelo Russell heading into this season. But what does that mean for the point guard? Well, D’Lo has already taken the first step toward JJ’s vision as he looked back on his mistakes and issued a public apology during the Lakers’ Media Day, “I think for me, honestly, I really want to apologize in the sense of showing a lack of professionalism at times.” And he was referring to the traits that have given him a ‘bad rap’ among fans. However, amid the drama, D’Lo’s teammate Austin Reaves defended him by calling out the point guard’s critics.

Following Russell’s comments, Reaves addressed how D’Lo’s style of play leads to him getting misinterpreted by fans, “On court, I think skill wise, he’s up there. It’s so smooth, it’s effortless and I think that’s where kind of he gets the bad rap is when he’s playing really well and making shots, it looks easy. But then when he misses a couple of those shots that he makes normally, it still looks easy. So, I think people interpret as ‘He’s not trying.’” Sure enough, consistency has been a major concern for D’Lo as he usually plays great during the regular season, but is unable to produce in big playoff moments.

However, Reaves clarified that D’Lo’s faulty reputation is far from the truth, “Just to speak about him as a person, ever since he got traded here from the first day, he was phenomenal to me. Phenomenal to be around.” Moreover, Russell is a student of the game and loves to watch film to get better results on the court. And AR15 had a stern message for those who criticize D’Lo, “To all those people out there that give him a bad rap, I guess me and you got problems because It’s one of my favorite guys I’ve ever been around.” With support from his teammate, D’Lo seems ready to live up to Redick’s expectations.

D’Angelo Russell aiming to hold himself “More Accountable” amid adversity

Well, D’Lo was heavily criticized after his underwhelming performance in the West finals last year. And his reputation did not get any better in this year’s series against the Nuggets as his averages dropped from 18 points in the regular season to 14.2 points in the playoffs. Sure enough, that led to several trade rumors as many members of the Lakers Nation were not happy with Russell’s inconsistency.

But D’Lo aims to have a much better performance this year as he listed his last season’s mistakes, “Showing a lack of team-first perception at times. So for me, just keeping that maturity and that professionalism throughout the year no matter the ups and downs. Holding myself more accountable on the defensive end.” Yes, although he is a versatile offensive player with elite playmaking skills and occasional shooting bursts, Russell at times becomes a liability on defense. But with the Lakers running it back with virtually the same roster they had last season, Russell plans on putting more effort into defense and turning it into one of his strengths.

“Just trying to gain that trust from coach defensively and consistently I must show up every day you know, practice, game, preseason whatever knowing that coach has that trust in me as well. And I think it’ll just continue to a successful season.” Russell remarked. Do you think he will live up to JJ’s expectations and prove Austin Reaves right?