JJ Redick calls D’Angelo Russell one of the most vocal leaders this season

All teams need key players who are vocal leaders and the Lakers appear to have that in D’Angelo Russell.

D'Angelo Russell's role on the Lakers and his best use case has been a point of contention for years now. JJ Redick has given his stamp of approval, saying he wants him to have a career year this season, but so far, that's not what's happened.

Russell is averaging 12.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists to start the season. Those numbers are all well below his stats last season, with his point total being down nearly six points fewer.

Now, since it's just been a half-dozen games, a few stinkers will dramatically sway the numbers.

On Friday against the Raptors, Redick tweaked the rotations a bit, resulting in a win and Russell having his best game so far. He ended the night with 19 points on 7-13 shooting and the best plus-minus on the team with a +14.

After the victory, Redick talked about how Russell has been a powerful voice on this roster even when his play hasn't been spectacular.

"I would say he's been one of the more vocal leaders of our team and that goes back to before training camp on the days he was in the gym," Redick said. "It was one of the challenges that I gave him the first day he came in the gym. He was using his voice and he was energetic. We talked about it afterward and I said, 'That's got to be your standard. That's got to be who you are every day regardless if shots are going in or not or if you get subbed out at the end of a game.'

"Look, he played really well tonight. He's going to have a lot of good games where he plays well. His spirit has not diminished at all with any sort of shooting struggles to start the season. He's been fantastic."

With so much of the offense running through Anthony Davis and a new system in place offensively with a lot of unknowns, Russell’s place in the hierarchy is unclear.

He could be as high as the third-best player on the team behind LeBron and AD or as low as a sixth man.

All Russell can do is control what he can control and if he has a good attitude, leads this team as an experienced vet and gives his best effort on defense, that's all one can ask of him.

It's great to see Russell having a good relationship with Redick. Under Darvin Ham, it was clear benching him damaged that dynamic.

Now, it's a fresh start and although the production has been subpar, Russell appears to have the right attitude, which is part of why the vibe around the Lakers is so good right now.

He's commended the Lakers for prioritizing structure this season and with his leadership unfazed by the slow start it’s only a matter of time until he regresses to the mean and is back to hitting 3-pointers in bunches for the Lakers.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.