Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell averaged 6.9 points on 39.6 percent shooting in the preseason. HANS GUTKNECHT — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Both the excitement and anxiety of the Lakers’ 2015-16 season caused Byron Scott to toss and turn, leaving the team’s coach so restless that he woke up on Wednesday at 4:30 a.m. He then took a hot yoga session around 6:30 a.m., an exercise that made Scott both “feel better” and help him reach clarity on a pressing issue.

Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell will make his first career start in the season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Staples Center. As expected, Russell will play alongside Jordan Clarkson (shooting guard), Kobe Bryant (small forward), Julius Randle (power forward) and Roy Hibbert (center). Scott hardly reached clarity on Russell’s status stemmed from a hot yoga session, however. The reasons became more tangible for the Lakers’ No. 2 draft pick.

“I’ve been very impressed with our talk and how hard he’s worked the last three days,” Scott said, referring to telling Russell to focus more on defense and rebounding instead of just playmaking. “I think he’s ready. He has an inner confidence in himself in that he wants to be in this position. He wants to be in that spotlight.”

But Russell will not assume that spotlight with the lead role. Scott said that Clarkson will mostly handle point-guard duties both to lessen Russell’s workload and the pressure that comes with it. Scott also stressed his lineup will continuously remain subject to change.

“I’m going to reevaluate. I don’t think I want him to feel I’m a starter for the next 82 games. You have to work and get better,” Scott said. “Nothing is a given. These guys have to go out and perform.”

Scott routinely changed the starting lineup last season about every 20 games amid the Lakers’ endless injuries and losses that contributed to the team’s worst record in franchise history. Scott stressed “he hasn’t gotten to that point yet.” So even if he will watch the lineup’s progression with a critical eye, Scott also admitted, “I have to be patient too.”

After all, Bryant missed the last three exhibition games because of a bruise in his lower left leg, while Russell missed one preseason contest because of a sore glute. Russell also played two games off the bench. Add that all up, and the Lakers’ current starting lineup only played together in the Lakers’ first two preseason games. The sample size is even more diminished when accounting for Russell appearing in only four minutes of the Lakers’ second exhibition before injuring his glute.

“They haven’t played five or six games together,” Scott said. “I want to see how that goes before I start tinkering with the lineup.”

Scott maintained he was “seriously thinking about a couple of different scenarios” after Russell averaged 6.9 points on only 39.6-percent shooting in seven exhibition games. Scott pondered about starting Marcelo Huertas before changing his mind amid concerns about his right hamstring and feeling impressed with how he meshes with the reserves. Scott also considered starting rookie Anthony Brown at small forward after starting in the last five exhibition games.

Instead, Scott will see how Russell handles learning on the fly.

“Don’t make the same mistakes constantly,” Scott said. “You have to learn from those mistakes. You hope after they make it, they can learn right away. If it comes up again, you hope they don’t do it again. But you at least hope every game or two they have learned something.”

Scott plans to evaluate that progression game-by-game and tape-by-tape.

“Our best friend is the tape as a coach. Sometimes it’s not the players’ best friend. It doesn’t lie,” Scott said. “They’ve been good. The thing I love about his group that I have is these guys are very coachable. They listen and want to be good. They want to go out and give you the best effort that they can.”

In a few hours, Scott will find out what Russell’s best will be under brighter lights and higher expectations.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com