D'Angelo Russell and Luke Walton have had nothing but positive things to say about one another since they teamed up with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Walton, the fresh-faced player's coach, has taken a liking to the promising young point guard. Walton entrusted the 19-year-old as the leader of the Lakers, and he's staunchly sung Russell's praises throughout the offseason.
The love is reciprocated by Russell. Having received little guidance from the former regime, Russell sees the 36-year-old Walton as a "big brother figure," and finds him to be incredibly relatable.
In fact, the precocious Walton is so young that Russell even remembers playing with his new coach in video game form - a lot.
"I told him I remember playing with (Walton) on 2K," Russell told Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. "I used to always play as him. I'm a fan. I'm definitely a fan."
The choice to frequently play as Walton comes as a strange one. Walton was never one for panache, and his ratings in the gaming franchise hovered between the low 70s and high 60s. In 2013, Walton's final year as a player, his rating was a paltry 66 - a full six points less than the likes of Lakers outcast Nick Young.
So was there anything in particular about Walton's skillset that appealed to Russell?
"Because he was a point forward. I can't speak on Elgin Baylor and all those guys, but my era, I know he was a point forward."
Sure, let's go with that.
