For D’Angelo Russell, it’s no longer about scoring or stats or even All-Star acclaim. The next step in his basketball evolution and NBA education is winning.
“That’s what we play for: You play to win. Every year you want to keep elevating you. And that’s what I want to do,” said Russell, when asked if leading a team into the playoffs is his next hurdle. “Coming back next year, whatever accolades I had this year I want to double that. Keep coming. Wins will fall on that.”
When the Lakers traded Russell, team president Magic Johnson intimated he wasn’t a leader, couldn’t make teammates better and wasn’t somebody people wanted to play alongside.