# Summer League Thread



## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

Can't remember ever being this excited for summer league. Our line-up will seriously be better than the team we rolled out for the last couple months of the season last year. 

First game is on Friday, 5:30 pm PT. 
Rest of the schedule here

Few things to look out for

1) How will Julius Randle bounce back? The buzz is he looks trimmer, faster, more explosive with an improved jump-shot. So far, teammates have described him as a "beast", "monster", and an "ox". He's stated he's lost 15-16 lbs but has actually gotten stronger. He may well have been worth the wait. 

2) Is Russell as good as advertised? Multiple people within the organization have described him as "special". I watched him all last year, and I can't wait to see how he plays with scorers around him where his passing ability can be on full display. Can he be a leader out of the gate? Will he be exposed on defense?

3) There's plenty of other players that will definitely be on the team, but the third story to me this summer is will Robert Upshaw show he belongs in the NBA? Talent isn't the question. I think he'll get training camp invites regardless, but can he show enough on defense that the Lakers will want a closer look this fall? 

After whiffing in FA, there's still plenty to be excited about. Can't wait to watch.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

Uncle Drew said:


> Can't remember ever being this excited for summer league. Our line-up will seriously be better than the team we rolled out for the last couple months of the season last year.
> 
> First game is on Friday, 5:30 pm PT.
> Rest of the schedule here
> ...


I'm predicting that six players from the summer league team make the final roster. Which is either promising or a bad omen for the upcoming year. Seriously considering going to vegas for a weekend and catching two games.


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

I think Russell is going to be a much bigger scorer than people realize and more of a Curry type passer not a pure run the team set up man but a guy who can get buckets and drop dimes when the defense collapses. He is so slick with the ball. He has a lot of Kobe in his game has all the shots in his bag mid deep floater and fade. 

Randle excites me I was a huge fan of his in college and out of highschool did not like what I saw early with the Lakers last season seemed out of shape. If he has in fact improved his has the knack for scoring he could be huge for us this season.


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## elcap15 (Aug 8, 2006)

I've been waiting for this thread. I am unreasonable excited for summer league this year. Its a little pathetic.

I agree with Jamel, I think our roster will have Clarkson, Russell, Randle, Black, Jabari Brown, and at least one of Upshaw/Nance/Brown. That is scary for our team's production next season but is amazing for summer league.

Now watch us go 0-5 and me crying myself to sleep.


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## arasu (Jan 18, 2013)

elcap15 said:


> I've been waiting for this thread. I am unreasonable excited for summer league this year. Its a little pathetic.
> 
> I agree with Jamel, I think our roster will have Clarkson, Russell, Randle, Black, Jabari Brown, and at least one of Upshaw/Nance/Brown. That is scary for our team's production next season but is amazing for summer league.
> 
> Now watch us go 0-5 and me crying myself to sleep.


There will be more than enough veterans on the team. I'm not scared.

This definitely will be an exciting summer league!


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## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

elcap15 said:


> I've been waiting for this thread. I am unreasonable excited for summer league this year. Its a little pathetic.
> 
> I agree with Jamel, I think our roster will have Clarkson, Russell, Randle, Black, Jabari Brown, and at least one of Upshaw/Nance/Brown. That is scary for our team's production next season but is amazing for summer league.
> 
> Now watch us go 0-5 and me crying myself to sleep.


Well Nance was a 1st rounder, so he has a guaranteed deal. 

I would think the Lakers would prefer to keep A. Brown over J. Brown. Especially considering our current lack of wing depth and the fact we're trying hard to unload Swaggy. 

So that's six by my count as well. All of our draft choices plus Black. Don't think you cut Black or Sacre to make space for a question mark like Upshaw, especially with so much youth on the team. We'll have to see what he shows.


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## MojoPin (Oct 10, 2008)

If my tenants in Vegas had moved out already (they are there til the 31st), I'd be down there for a weekend to watch the team. I think flights down there are still $99. Last year and this year are pretty much the only times I've ever paid attention to the summer squads. 

The homer in me wants to think that every one of the draft picks will succeed in the NBA.


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## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

jazzy1 said:


> I think Russell is going to be a much bigger scorer than people realize and more of a Curry type passer not a pure run the team set up man but a guy who can get buckets and drop dimes when the defense collapses. He is so slick with the ball. He has a lot of Kobe in his game has all the shots in his bag mid deep floater and fade.


I think he'll have that ability, but his mentality is pass first. I mean it remains to be seen of course, but after watching him play with so-so talent and still being quite unselfish, I see him more picking his spots with better talent around him. Not like a passive "floor general", but a guy who looks to create first.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

I'm going to DVR the first game but should be able to catch the second one.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

MojoPin said:


> If my tenants in Vegas had moved out already (they are there til the 31st), I'd be down there for a weekend to watch the team. I think flights down there are still $99. Last year and this year are pretty much the only times I've ever paid attention to the summer squads.
> 
> The homer in me wants to think that every one of the draft picks will succeed in the NBA.


Can I crash at your place with you? We can invite @Basel since his dad owns a liquor store. Then we can cruise the strip and beat up some hoser canadian tourists (you can tell by the pastiness). Afterwards we all run a train on a hooker.


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## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

Both Anthony Brown signed a multi-year deal today. With the first rounders, that puts the roster at 14 including Jabari Brown. 7 of which will play tomorrow.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

JC and Russell look good so far!!


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Clarkson with a nasty putback!!!!!


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## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)




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## MojoPin (Oct 10, 2008)

Clarkson/Russell is pretty damn nice


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## MojoPin (Oct 10, 2008)

Btw, this lineup might be our starters of the future


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Can't wait to watch this tomorrow.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

Were going to lose more than 40 games, but I will enjoy watching this team play next year!


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

Ok my impressions Clarkson has the gumption to think he is special and with his skill level and quickness off the dribble I might agree. He can shoot it deep and can slash I look for him to be Kobe secondary scorer this season. 

Russell too early to tell looked surprisingly unathletic to me I thought he was alittle quicker end to end part of it though I think is him thinking too much and not having the physical strength to turn the cornr yet. In time and I caution in time I think he will be good just a bigger learning curve than I thought. 

Randle for some reason is always stuck with teammates that won't just give him the damn ball. His 1st step and dexterity once he drives is amazing he is going to live at the line. He needs some skill development with regard to slowing down at times and taking the finesse play but at the end of the 1st game he was destroying the kid from Michigan state and put a nice move on Towns once in the post. He could become a star if he adds a jumper and learns how spacing on the floor works.

I hate Black he's just in the way and makes a ton of mental mistakes he's a banger with poor fundamentals. 

Nance jr is an athlete with little skill not sure why we picked him just an energy guy.


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## Cris (Jun 18, 2003)

jazzy1 said:


> Nance jr is an athlete with little skill not sure why we picked him just an energy guy.


I want to say a reporter from Draft Express said they had Nance at the bottom of the second round. The reporter asked Mitch about it in the draft press conference, and Mitch seemed a little taken back by that fact.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Didn't watch the game yesterday. Forgot to DVR it. How did the guys look?


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

apparently Nance had a little bit of a break out


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## sylaw (Nov 7, 2002)

jazzy1 said:


> Russell too early to tell looked surprisingly unathletic to me I thought he was alittle quicker end to end part of it though I think is him thinking too much and not having the physical strength to turn the cornr yet. In time and I caution in time I think he will be good just a bigger learning curve than I thought.


That's the main issue I have with him. He's just not explosive or fast enough at the NBA level. He is also relatively weak. He would have to improve a lot skill-wise in order to be good player. I just don't see it but I hope I'm wrong.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Other than the turnovers and a few forced drives, Russell seemed to be getting where he wanted to on the floor. I think once the his outside shot begins to fall and teams start to have to respect it, he'll be fine. He definitely needs to get in the weight room though. He's still got some baby fat but that's expected since he's only 19.


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## MojoPin (Oct 10, 2008)

He already has court vision that most vets lack, so I think he'll be just fine. A couple of his turnovers were because the receiving end wasn't expecting it. He hit Tarik for one that would be amazing but Black fumbled it out of bounds.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

sylaw said:


> That's the main issue I have with him. He's just not explosive or fast enough at the NBA level. He is also relatively weak. He would have to improve a lot skill-wise in order to be good player. I just don't see it but I hope I'm wrong.


Russell will never be the off-the-charts athletic player some PGs in the NBA are. But i wouldn't worry about his skill set: his major strenghts are his passing and his jumper, and hopefully he will translate just fine.

Granted, him being somewhat slow-footed wil hurt in the defensive end, but we will see...


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

I like Nance. He knows what his role is and he's athletic enough to be able to guard multiple positions. If he can improve his shot, I think he can be come a stronger Shane Battier.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

I like Tarik Black but he needs to learn to play defense without fouling. If I'm Byron, I lock him in a room and make him watch nothing but video of prime Ben Wallace until he grows a fro and punches Ron Artest in the mouth on instinct.


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

King Sancho Fantastic said:


> I like Nance. He knows what his role is and he's athletic enough to be able to guard multiple positions. If he can improve his shot, I think he can be come a stronger Shane Battier.


did you see this:


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## elcap15 (Aug 8, 2006)

Russell has a much further to go than I though he would. He is not ready to log substantial minutes yet at NBA level. He looks weak and slow to me right now. he would get killed against the staring guards of the west night in night out. His court vision is great though.

Randle physically is a force. He needs to get his rhythym back and soften his touch around the rim, but he is going to be good.

Clarkson played like I expect from an all rookie 2nd year guy. He is also already 23 so he is much older than a lot of these guys.

Upshaw has so much upside. His wingspan is crazy long. He is in really bad shape right now and does not know how to take the right angles to block without fouling yet. Hopefully he can learn that.

Nance is an energy guy that every team loves to have. I'm not sure what else he will bring. He's a really good athlete too.

Tarik is a big body with pretty surprising quickness. He is a foul machine but I think he can log some good minutes off the bench.

Brown is hard for me to read. He seems pretty athletic, but didn't look like a knock down 3 pt shooter. Really small sample size so I hope he has that distance. It would be huge for this team down the road.


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## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

Game is on right now. Russell looking like an undrafted college player. Bill and Stu making all the excuses in the world for him.

Yes I know its pre-season...blahblahblah


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

I just tuned in. What have I missed?


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

Basel said:


> I just tuned in. What have I missed?


Russell has looked pretty atrocious. As many turnovers as points. 

I'd be surprised if he's logging any meaningful minutes this year for you guys.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

He'll be fine. It's summer league and they had a grand total of like 3 practices before they started the games. To be honest, some of his turnovers would've been assists if guys were ready for the passes he throws. Give him time.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Randle too. He's getting any shot he wants, he's just not converting. His touch and rhythm will return in time.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Porn Player said:


> Russell has looked pretty atrocious. As many turnovers as points.
> 
> I'd be surprised if he's logging any meaningful minutes this year for you guys.


He's going to log a ton of minutes. We're not contenders by any stretch of the imagination and the goal for this years team is to develop the young players as much as possible.


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## Mrs. Thang (Apr 14, 2011)

Russell looks exactly like he did in college. If you take his 3 best plays from every game and put them in a mashup he looks like the best player in Vegas. If you watch him actually play a full game it's a lot of "hmmm".


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

King Sancho Fantastic said:


> He's going to log a ton of minutes. We're not contenders by any stretch of the imagination and the goal for this years team is to develop the young players as much as possible.


Even if he's making as many mistakes as he is now? 

I thought the plan was to be semi-competitive while Kobe was still around. I'm not saying Russell will never get to where he needs to be, I'm mainly saying that I was surprised by how far off he is, especially as he was touted as one of the more polished college recruits in the reports I was reading.


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## elcap15 (Aug 8, 2006)

Everyone looked awful yesterday. I'm going to try and erase that game from my memory.

In the postgame interview, MadDog said that they gave them all the day off on Sunday. Giving a group of young, rich, some freshly drafted in the NBA, kids a day off in Las Vegas does not make for the best performance. I am praying that they were all hung over and not actually that bad.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Porn Player said:


> Even if he's making as many mistakes as he is now?
> 
> I thought the plan was to be semi-competitive while Kobe was still around. I'm not saying Russell will never get to where he needs to be, I'm mainly saying that I was surprised by how far off he is, especially as he was touted as one of the more polished college recruits in the reports I was reading.


Nah. They'll send Kobe off as best they can but most knowledable Laker fans are not kidding themselves into thinking that this team is gonna be anything more than a 40 win team at best right now. If we can win games and steal the 8th playoff spot, that would just be gravy. The primary goal should be the development of our young core. I'm not saying Russell isn't making mistakes, but we have to be realistic when evaluating him when he's a 19 year old kid learning a new offense with a bunch of rookies and 2nd year players he just met last week while being coached by Mark Madsen. As far as his projections coming out of college, Okafor was the most polished in terms of being able to be the most effective immediately. Towns had the highest ceiling and Russell had the best all around skill set offensively. I haven't seen anything from any of those three to change that so far.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

King Sancho Fantastic said:


> Nah. They'll send Kobe off as best they can but most knowledable Laker fans are not kidding themselves into thinking that this team is gonna be anything more than a 40 win team at best right now. If we can win games and steal the 8th playoff spot, that would just be gravy.


That's what I mean about being semi-competitive. Russell is not a start on a 40 win team in the Western Confernce from what I have seen. 

He's a starter on a Phila style 12 win team. 

It just isn't what I expected from him. These events usually favour scoring combo guards.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Porn Player said:


> That's what I mean about being semi-competitive. Russell is not a start on a 40 win team in the Western Confernce from what I have seen.
> 
> He's a starter on a Phila style 12 win team.
> 
> It just isn't what I expected from him. These events usually favour scoring combo guards.


Never said he'd start. He'll split time at both guard spots with Clarkson and Kobe. Whether that's starting or coming off the bench, he's going to get plenty of playing time. Summer League is usually just a slight step above pro pick up ball. Wade averaged 13pts, 6 reb, and 4asts. Rose averaged 9pts, 5apg and 2 reb. Curry while averaging 17ppg shot 32%. With that said, Russell does need to take better care of the ball.


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## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

Definitely some concern watching D'Angelo struggle this much, but not enough to panic or anything. The game is clearly moving too fast for him right now. Making really poor decisions, though I'd say at least 1/3 of his turnovers are only half his fault. Also still looks rushed, getting used to the 24 sec shot clock. 

He'll be much better, but it's pretty disappointing at this stage. I watched him most of the year, and this is by far the most rattled I've seen him. Also first time I've ever seen him unsure of himself. There was always going to be a learning curve, but he's better than this. 

Some encouraging signs: his stop and pop game looked fair-good. He's much more likely to hit that short to mid-range pull-up than get all the way to the rim. He prefers it, he's said as much. He can pass the rock, no doubt. Didn't rack up the assists or create as much offense as you'd like, but rarely missed open teammates and delivered good passes. He looked lost on D but did show some good potential digging in at the post and drivers with that long wingspan. Also decent on the boards at over 5 per game. 

His game is all about change of pace and also using his size, so not that worried about the lack of explosion. Definitely needs to add some strength to turn the corner and keep defenders on his hip. The BIGGEST area of improvement to me outside of the TO's is his footwork on the jumper. He has a feathery touch, but poor balance and set-up, IMO. Need to clean that up to make defenders pay for giving him space. Then the lane will be much easier to get in to. 

All that said, the kid's 19. Talent is there. The will is there. The confidence is there. He'll be fine.


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## MojoPin (Oct 10, 2008)

He's kind of like how Clarkson was last year, where it took him a few months to adjust to the faster pace of the NBA. JC looked like a nervous wreck for awhile; everything was forced.


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

running a complex offense that takes the ball out of the PG's hands isnt helping things either - everyone seems to be thinking too much


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## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

Also, regarding Julius. The important thing is he looks healthy. 

A lot of rust after being out for so long, but he looks good. More quick and springy than I remember from last year. Just needs to slow it down a bit. And needs to learn how to play with a couple different gears, otherwise he'll lead the league in offensive fouls. 

JC looks good. Confident. 

I liked what A. Brown has showed on D, looks like he's adjusting to the NBA 3 point line, but the jumper looked fairly good.

Nance Jr, lots of energy, great athlete. Average skill level and awareness at this point. 

e-monk on point with the Princeton offense. Everyone looks a bit lost except for maybe JC. Gonna make for some very sloppy play.


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

not sure why they're doing that either - over the last 4 or 5 seasons they've done some stupid shit with their offense - you've got Fisher as a point? let's go P&R heavy- now you have Nash? let's abandon the P&R and go SAS double post - wtf? I guess that was mostly Mike Brown but 'Antoni looks smart in comparison


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

I was reading an article from a few years ago about Kyrie struggling with the Princeton when Byron coached him as a rookie. They ended up abandoning it. Could be the same thing happening here.


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## elcap15 (Aug 8, 2006)

Getting beat up right now might actually be a good thing for these young guys. Hopefully it makes them realize how much work they still need to put in. 

Nobody knew what they were doing last game, it definitely wasn't the Princeton offense. Everyone was just standing around. They forgot the motion part of motion offense.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Julius having his best game so far. Good to see.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Russell playing a much more controlled game


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

> @billoram: Jordan Clarkson told me he is planning on future workouts with Steve Nash. He believes D'Angelo Russell will be included as well.


Excellent news


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

King Sancho Fantastic said:


> Russell playing a much more controlled game


How did that end for him? :drums:


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Porn Player said:


> How did that end for him? :drums:


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## elcap15 (Aug 8, 2006)

We finally got a glimpse of what these guys can do. The third quarter was the best basketball this team has played so far.

Defensively they are just awful.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Russell found his shooting stroke this game. 21pts on 10-20 shooting.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

I said this last year when people were clamoring for Clarkson to play, rookie PGs struggle in this league traditionally. Especially 19 year old ones. Russell probably won't look starter worthy until Valentine's Day.


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## arasu (Jan 18, 2013)

The Lakers future is here!


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## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

Russell looked good the last two games. He has to remain aggressive for those passing lanes to open up. Looked much more on balance on the J in that last game as well. 

Julius looked great physically. And his touch/timing don't look too far off. Fully expect him to earn the starting spot. 

Disappointing overall, but they all showed flashes of what they can do. They'll be some growing pains this year for sure, but they'll still be a lot more fun to watch.


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