Magic Johnson Pulls D'Angelo Russell Aside For Talk After Practice

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A day after what was perhaps D'Angelo Russell's worst game in the NBA, the second-year guard was pulled aside for an after-practice talk with newly installed president of basketball operations Magic Johnson.

The content of their discussion was not immediately clear, but Johnson's body language suggests he was trying to give Russell some on-court pointers. Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka reportedly spoke with several players individually after the practice.

In the Lakers' 139-100 loss to the Rockets Wednesday night, Russell logged seven turnovers and five points off the bench before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

The performance made Russell just the second player in the last decade to foul out of a game and also register more turnovers than fouls and more fouls than points, according to a reporter.

Johnson said last month that he intended to be involved with the Lakers primarily on the business side, including helping with personnel decisions.

But he said he didn't plan to be coaching basketball in any official capacity.

"I tried coaching," he said of his brief stint on the sidelines in 1994. "I never wanted to be a coach.