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D’Angelo Russell will start for the Lakers in Wednesday night’s season opener

D'Angelo Russell plays in the Lakers' exhibition game against the Maccabi Haifa on Oct. 11. The 19-year-old will start for the Lakers in their season opener Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

D’Angelo Russell plays in the Lakers’ exhibition game against the Maccabi Haifa on Oct. 11. The 19-year-old will start for the Lakers in their season opener Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
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D’Angelo Russell will start for the Lakers in their season opener Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending several days of speculation.

The second overall pick in the June draft did enough to get the nod from Coach Byron Scott, who refused to name him as a starter until Wednesday morning, not long after Scott processed his thoughts while enduring a “hot yoga” session, he said.

“I just think he’s ready,” Scott said. “I think he has an inner confidence about himself. He wants to be in this position, he wants to be in that spotlight. He wants the ball in his hands, even though I’m not going to put it in his hands a whole hell of a lot [Wednesday].”

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Russell, 19, will be more of a shooting guard than a point guard. Jordan Clarkson will handle the ball more often, possibly allowing a smoother transition into the rookie’s NBA debut.

Russell was in and out of the starting lineup in exhibition play, averaging 6.9 points on shaky 38.6% shooting to go with 3.3 assists.

But Scott liked Russell’s response to a talk he had with the former Ohio State point guard last weekend. He wanted Russell to work harder on defense and pay more attention to the little things, including rebounding.

Russell worked on his shooting for an extra 45 minutes after Tuesday’s practice ended.

Russell shouldn’t necessarily relax, Scott said.

“I don’t think I want him to feel that ‘OK, I’m the starter for the next 82 games,’” Scott said. “You’ve got to continue to work and get better. It’s the same thing Jordan had to do once he got his opportunity to play. Same thing with Julius [Randle].”

Scott could have started NBA newcomer Marcelo Huertas, 32, who gained extensive overseas experience at point guard but never played an NBA game. Huertas has been bothered by a sore hamstring but impressed the coaching staff with his passing skills and court demeanor.

“He was in our conversation as well,” Scott said. “I don’t think he can handle that load of minutes right now. The No. 2 thing was I like him with that second unit. They seem to have a pretty good chemistry together.”

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