Byron Scott is making a push as the worst coach in the NBA. He’s presiding over an 0-4 Lakers team, and trying to manage it like a playoff contender when it clearly is in a rebuilding stage. In the process, he’s quickly alienating rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Russell, the second overall pick in the 2015 Draft, has not been playing in crunch time. Instead, Scott is using second-year guard Jordan Clarkson, franchise icon Kobe Bryant, and veteran swingman Lou Williams. Of those three, Williams stands out as the player to get the boot. Yes, he scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of L.A.’s loss Tuesday night to the Nuggets, but the Lakers didn’t pull it out and Russell didn’t get valuable experience.
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“He can’t get wrapped up into everything being said,” Scott said. “As long as he keeps developing as a point guard in this league, he’ll be all right.” But how can Russell develop if he is sitting? He expressed a hint of frustration after the game when asked about how he can wedge himself into the late-game lineup.
“I have no idea. It’s something I’ve got to deal with,” Russell said. Russell finished the game with seven points, six assists and only one turnover in 20 minutes. Williams, who played 33 minutes, finished with 24 points on 4-of-11 shooting, scored most of his points at the free throw line. He posted a plus/minus of -9, as did Jordan Clarkson, who scored 30 points, while Russell was -2.
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Scott has badly misread his roster on multiple levels. The team surrendered 54 points in the point, yet free agent center Roy Hibbert only played 17 minutes. And he failed to recognize what the Nuggets, another rebuilding club, did with their own rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who put up 12 points and 10 assists, and played the fourth quarter despite shooting 3-of-13 from the field.
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