Byron Scott has made it clear that he is not the world’s biggest fan of rookie D’Angelo Russell.
Russell has been benched multiple times late in games, including once recently for “trying to take over.” The logic doesn’t make much sense if you’re trying to groom a No. 2 overall pick and future franchise cornerstone, but such is life.
Given Scott’s rocky relationship with Russell, it’s perhaps no surprise that he pointed to the point guard’s immaturity as a problem. Here’s what Scott said about Russell prior to Wednesday’s Lakers-Cavs game:
D'Angelo's playful teenage nature is "at times," a problem, Byron said. Not as mature as Chris Paul + Kyrie Irving as rookies, Byron added.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) February 10, 2016
Even if Scott feels that way about Russell, you have to wonder why he brings it up to the media. What benefit does he gain by doing so instead of just keeping it in house? It’s a questionable strategy to be sure and it might not endear him to his players, just like Russell probably didn’t like reading these comments from Scott a few days ago.
