D'Angelo Russell will start for the Lakers in their season opener Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending several days of speculation.
The second overall pick in the June draft did enough to get the nod from Coach Byron Scott, who refused to name him as a starter until Wednesday morning, not long after Scott processed his thoughts while enduring a "hot yoga" session, he said.
"I just think he's ready," Scott said. "I think he has an inner confidence about himself. He wants to be in this position, he wants to be in that spotlight. He wants the ball in his hands, even though I'm not going to put it in his hands a whole hell of a lot [Wednesday].