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NBA Rookie Rankings: Coming down the homestretch

ByBrett David Roberts|
Feb 20, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) greets Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) prior to the game at Target Center. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 103-95. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) greets Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) prior to the game at Target Center. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 103-95. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
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D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers, C.J. Watson, Orlando Magic
Mar 8, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Orlando Magic guard C.J. Watson (32) guards Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) in the second half of the game at Staples Center. The Lakers won 107-98. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

7. D’Angelo Russell

Previous Rank: 7

D’Angelo Russell is still just hitting stride this season, however late the breakout is. He is averaging 19.9 points, 4.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds in his past 10 games while knocking down 46 percent from the floor.

Russell struggled Mar. 13 against the New York Knicks, hitting just 1 of 7 from the floor. But prior to that he had posted 21 points or more in the Lakers’ previous three games.

Russell is averaging 32.1 minutes per game in March, and he has not seem to hit any rookie wall either. Whether or not he is a franchise player is still difficult to discern, but at the very minimum he forms a tough, big frontcourt with guard Jordan Clarkson for the Lakers’ future.

The Lakers have a lot of the pieces intact already in the rebuild, but this season’s dysfunction is mostly a result of growing pains. Russell can be an elite scorer, and in the month of March he has been just that.

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