In the first game of his NBA career, second-overall pick D’Angelo Russell found himself in an unfamiliar role. Despite starting at point guard, the 19-year-old played off the ball for the majority of the game, while Jordan Clarkson took over as the primary ballhandler.
Head coach Byron Scott wanted to push the pace with the speedy Clarkson, but now he plans to hand the ball back into Russell’s hands.
“I really just wanted to up the tempo with Jordan pushing,” Scott said at Thursday’s practice. “Jordan’s a little bit more experience. … (In) the second half D’Angelo was more of the primary ballhandler, and we’ll see how that works tomorrow (at Sacramento).