The Sacramento Kings completed a season sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night with a 120-107 victory. The Kings have taken a leap over the past two seasons since Mike Brown took over as head coach and have now won seven of the last eight games over the Lakers.
While much of the attention goes to the performances of players such as De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis, who had another triple-double Wednesday, Brown’s influence can not go understated and Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell sees the impact he has made on that team.
Following the loss, Russell was asked why the Lakers have been unable to defeat the Kings in recent years and he pointed to the outstanding job Brown has done in transforming this team, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“I think Mike Brown, honestly. I know how good of a coach he is. I know what he’s done to that team. I know where they were before he got there and they are where they are now. Obviously they have players that are more than capable but the system that he’s put around those guys where everybody is involved I would say, and everybody’s lethal. I know his style so I know what they do is him.”
Russell spent some time with Brown as a member of the Golden State Warriors when the latter was an assistant under Steve Kerr before taking the Kings job. As such, Russell is extremely familiar with what Brown is all about and how great of a basketball mind he is and it is showing as the Lakers have had no answers for Sacramento as of late.
It isn’t often that coaches really get credit for what they do for a team as the players on the court tend to generate all the highlights and thus, dominate the headlines. But Brown has completely changed the culture of the Kings and Russell and many others around the league have taken notice. Obviously Russell would prefer the Lakers to figure this out and be able to take down their Pacific Division rival, but he has no problem giving credit where it’s due.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham says he and D’Angelo Russell are in a ‘great place’
Some may look at D’Angelo Russell’s comments on Mike Brown as a shot towards Lakers coach Darvin Ham. The pair’s struggles to develop a connection is known, but that seems to be more in the past as player and coach are on the same page now.
Ham admitted that things didn’t start off great, but that he and Russell have worked to build their relationship and feels they are in a ‘great place’ now and feels Russell would agree.
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