D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Traded To The Nets

Honestly I'm shocked he missed that game winner.

 

as i said when he was here, he's really talented, he just doesn't really care about winning. like, he thinks it's more fun when you do, but he'll take just playing his way instead. that's ok, if you're the nets and are tanking and just want some entertainment.

 

It was a perfect game for both DLO and the Nets. 20+ points, 10+ assists, lots of eyeballs on the game since it's against the Knicks, and Nets lose.

 

ICE in his veins

 

Wow what a crazy ending. Good for him.

 

looks like a good fit or him there

 

a bad team with no expectations is the perfect environment for him

 

Good for D-Lo! As said above: low-expectation environment for him.

HOU up 5 w/18 secs left after Sengun hits a FT.
Keon Johnson drives for a dunk with 10 secs left: HOU by 3. It's as if they thought they had it sewn?
Keon immediately fouls that a-hole Dillon Brooks, who misses the first; makes the 2nd: HOU by 4 with 9.1 left.

Nets timeout.

Tosan E. inbounds to Keon, who immediately hits a 29 foot 3: HOU by 1 with 8 secs left. Whatta shot!

Full court pressure in the backcourt, HOU has a rough time getting it in, Amen tries to hit Dillon, but it was a bad pass, Tosan E. knocks the loose ball to D-Lo, standing at the arc counting his change, and D-Lo promptly hits a 28 footer: Nets by 2 with 3 secs left. Brooklyn fans goin' nutz. 6 points in the last 10 secs. The last time the Nets won a game at home was Dec. 6th.

HOU takes their last timeout. They should've taken it after Keon's 3, but hey: they young, sometimes dumb, etc.

Jalen Green's 31 footer misses wide: D-Lo's the hero!

No one saw HOU, with Sengun back, losing to the Nets tonight. But let's get real: HOU/MEM/OKC are really young and really good, and will do damage in April and May, despite their age.

 

I mean, if you want to play in a big market with zero expectations then Brooklyn is probably the best fit.

Glad he's happy where he can dominate the ball without without the pressure of the bright lights.

 

You want to do the little things to contribute to winning on a tanking team without a rudder?

 

DLo's career going forward is difficult to project. I think he's still capable of raising the floor of a lottery team to play-in level, in the East. So he could be useful to a team that's in the latter stage of their rebuild. I can't imagine a scenario where he's on a contender, unless he's like the 7th or 8th man during the regular season, and out of the rotation in the playoffs. Some of his weaknesses stem from how he approaches the game, but a lot of it's physical (motor, athleticism, strength, speed) so I can't hate him for what's he's become as a player. I just feel bad that he's had 2 bad stints as a Laker.

 

his playoff issues are mental and, i fear, terminal in terms of his ability to play a big role on a team with serious aspirations.

he's not wrong in his implication that ham kinda gave him a raw deal. but i'm guessing part of why ham did that is because he could sense lebron wanted him out from day one.

i just don't think he's a winner. good player, seems like a decent guy, just not trustworthy in big situations. he talked about his new coach trusting him, and i think that's easy when your goal doesn't involve winning games.

 

With all his physical limitations and mental weaknesses, no way can he be a major contributor on a playoff team.

He could've been a poor man's Jalen Brunson or Jamal Murray if he hit the weight room but in the words of one, "meh".

 

His upper body looks solid enough. Skinny lower legs but maybe to your point some serious work on his upper legs would have added more strength to his game?