If D'Angelo Russell is trying to get back into the Lakers' starting lineup, he might not want to record any more unflattering impressions -- intentional or unintentional -- of Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers rookie was caught on camera with Los Angeles player development coach Thomas Scott on a court as he went into an impersonation of the Black Mamba, according to The Los Angeles Daily News.
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As Russell collected the ball, he announced, "Kobe," declaring the impersonation was about to begin. Then he took the ball at the right wing of the 3-point line, waved off other imaginary players, backed Scott down and proceeded to shoot an air ball from the baseline from about 15 feet.
It's one of the few things Russell has done wrong of late as he continues to improve on the court for the Lakers.
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CBS Sports moved up Russell to No. 4 in its weekly Rookie Power Poll, up two spots from No. 6 a week ago.
"Russell cracks the top five after several strong performances last week," CBS Sports reported. "Against the Hawks, Russell filled up the stat sheet, finishing the game with 16 points (6-16 FG, 4-7 3-PT), 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal. Russell is now third among rookies in assists (3.0) and fifth in points (10.9).
"Despite (D'Angelo's) stellar play, Lakers head coach Byron Scott recently made the curious decision to have Russell come off the bench. Russell will now be mainly going against second units, so we will see if he is able to thrive in this role or if it will hinder his development."
Regardless of his Bryant impersonation, Russell continues to show that the Lakers' management might have chosen the right player at No. 2 -- although it now may have to convince Scott of that.
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