National Basketball Association

Lakers: D'Angelo Russell Aiming For Most Improved Player

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell has his sights set on winning the NBA’s Most Improved Players award, per Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Bresnahan

Whether he cares to admit it or not, Lakers’ sophomore D’Angelo Russell has a chip on his shoulder. I mean, how could he not?

Just a few weeks into his NBA career, his so-called fans were already labeling him with the mother of all B words; bust. His coach at the time, and his teammates toward the tail end of the season, weren’t too fond of him either.

Add that to the fact that he was left off of the All-Rookie first team as the No. 2 overall pick and you have yourself a whole bag of chips with a side of guacamole.

Russell will get plenty of opportunities to shine this season as the Lakers primary ball handler, and he has his sights on some hardware along the way.

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It’s not hard to imagine Russell having a breakout year under head coach Luke Walton. The system he is playing in was tailor made for him, and he’ll have the ball in his hands whenever he is on the floor.

In fact, Russell was voted fourth most likely to have a breakout season in the NBA.com 2016-17 GM Survey. If Walton can bring out the best in Russell this season, it’s really his award to lose.

Unlike last year’s award winner, C.J. McCollum, Russell carries the expectations that come with being the No. 2 overall pick. Even with tempered expectations for this young Lakers squad, Russell is expected to show signs of becoming the Purple and Gold’s next great superstar

Russell has been hot and cold in the handful of Lakers preseason games, but when he’s hot, he’s hot. The sooner his starts shot to fall, the sooner he will get to brag to his teammates about taking home an award.

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