{"id":2996,"date":"2016-12-17T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2016-12-17T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=2996"},"modified":"2017-06-08T02:42:11","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T06:42:11","slug":"most-captivating-nba-players-2016-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2016\/12\/17\/most-captivating-nba-players-2016-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Captivating NBA Players of 2016: Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the 2016 calendar year comes to an end, the LWOS MC50 series captures the 50 most captivating athletes from 2016 in each sport. For LWOPB, we take a look at the 50 NBA players who drew headlines this past year, whether it be for on court accomplishments, off-season drama, or happenings off the court.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here, we analyze the third set of 10 players. A new MC50 article will be published every Saturday<\/strong> morning leading up to the new year.<\/p>\n

Most Captivating NBA Players of 2016: Part 3<\/strong><\/h2>\n

D’Angelo Russell<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fwI_UP5WS28<\/p>\n

It was a mixed 2016 for D’Angelo Russell<\/strong>. Perhaps his most memorable moment of the year was an off-court controversy involving Nick Young<\/a><\/strong>. On the court, he recovered from a rocky start, during which he lost his starting spot for much of the winter, to finish the season well. He was much more efficient towards the end of last season – particularly with his three-point shooting<\/a>. His good form has continued into the 2016-17 season, under new head coach Luke Walton<\/a><\/strong>. He has become a crucial member of the Lakers<\/strong>‘ team offense<\/a> so far;\u00a0they went 3-9 during his injury absence, but they’re 8-9 with Russell on the court.<\/p>\n