A lot of eyes will be on D'Angelo Russell for the coming season. To make sure he doesn't end up getting lost, he makes a seemingly odd but sensible request — have a locker next to Kobe Bryant's.
For those who are wondering the reason behind it, well, the explanation is plain and simple — Russell wants to make sure that Kobe is within reach and there to guide him as he officially starts his pro ball career starting this October.
"I don't know how much longer he's going to be around," said Russell. "So to have the opportunity to pick his brain a little bit every day, I don't have to make it weird by walking to his locker. I'll just look to my right and there he is," he added.
Russell, the Lakers' choice as the number two pick overall from the 2015 NBA Draft, does feel the pressure. Aside from being touted as one of the best guards any NBA team could get from the recent NBA Draft, the thing is he is joining a team that is rebuilding and bent on re-establishing itself in the league.
He is part of the young core branded as the future of the franchise and Russell knows pretty well that the best way to learn the ropes is through someone who has been there since he started his NBA career.
Such is actually a practice that many hardly give due attention. Several duos have done it in the past. Such include Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love when they were still together in Minnesota Timberwolves. Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat did the same.
With Russell more likely to find himself playing alongside Bryant, it does make sense to build the chemistry by being close to one another, right off from the locker room.
Aside from that and with Kobe's playing years numbered, it does, of course, come with the distinction of having a locker near one of the future NBA Hall of Famers. That is something that doesn't happen every day.
