D'Angelo Russell: Lakers have 'all the tools' to make the playoffs
Los Angeles Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell isn't afraid to speak his mind.
Earlier in the summer, Russell earned from flak from Lakers fans for saying Tracy McGrady -- a rival of Kobe Bryant's earlier in his career -- was the greatest player ever, theoretically taking a shot at Kobe. Russel did himself no favors a few weeks later, when he said Lakers fans were spoiled from winning so much.
Now, however, Russell is making brash claims from an optimistic perspective: He thinks the Lakers, despite the naysayers, have a good shot at making the playoffs in the ever-competitive West.
While speaking with the media at Lakers media day, Russell expressed belief in his team with a slight caveat:
"I don’t know what it takes to make the playoffs, but I feel like we’ve got all the tools," Russell said. "We have the coaching staff, all the weapons, to be as successful as possible."
The "I don't know what it takes to make the playoffs" is an honest clarifier, as Russell has obviously never been to the postseason. Essentially, he's admitting that he's not an authority on predictions yet -- he's just going with his gut feeling.
But for a rookie to be that confident, especially on a Bryant-led team, bodes well for Russell's future.
It remains to be seen just how good the Lakers can be -- a lot of pundits still predict they'll be a bottom-4 team in the West -- but if they can remain healthy and get bounce-back seasons from Bryant and Roy Hibbert, as well as impressive rookie debuts from Russell and Julius Randle, this could potentially make a run for the No. 8 seed.
There's plenty of time until late April, though, and it'll be fun to monitor all the things Russell says from now until then.
