D’Angelo Russell made his 2024-25 season debut for the Brooklyn Nets on New Year’s Day, suffering a 103-113 loss at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. Despite the defeat, the veteran point guard delivered a remarkable performance, making an immediate impact for the Nets in his second stint with the team.
The one-time NBA All-Star finished the game with 22 points, two rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and two blocks, showcasing his versatility. He shot 9-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-6 from the three-point zone.
D’Angelo Russell is playing like an all star again, the Lakers truly failed this point guard 😮💨pic.twitter.com/vknolnmUh1
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) January 2, 2025
Prior to playing his first game back with Brooklyn, Russell appeared to take a subtle jab at the Los Angeles Lakers, his former team. The 2023 NBA Cup champion seemingly hinted at his dissatisfaction with his time in Los Angeles when he expressed a sense of comfort in returning to Brooklyn.
“It’s a good feeling, honestly, to go back somewhere you’re comfortable, somewhere you kind of know the ins and outs a little bit, see some familiar faces, said Russell. “It kind of makes the process a little easier to adjust to. So, I’m just grateful for that.”
In his tenure with the Lakers, Russell frequently alternated between starting and coming off the bench. His recent comments appeared to reflect his frustration with the lack of clarity in his role with the team.
D’Angelo Russell’s ‘inconsistent run’ caused the Lakers to pull the plug on him
D’Angelo Russell had an inconsistent season with the Los Angeles Lakers under their neophyte coach JJ Redick. His offensive and defensive struggles early in the season greatly affected his synergy with the Purple and Gold. After starting 11 games, Redick needed a change and decided to relegate Russell to the bench.
This was the sequence that got D’Angelo Russell benched for the remainder of the game
Did JJ Redick overreact? 🤔
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 7, 2024
Russell played 29 games for the Lakers before the front office decided to let him go. He averaged a career-low 12.4 points, shooting only 41.5% from the field including 33.3% from the three-point area.
Even Darvin Ham, the Lakers’ former coach before Redick, had a hard time with Russell’s inconsistency. The now-assistant coach to the Milwaukee Bucks also relegated the veteran guard to the bench during the team’s difficult stretches.
The former second-overall pick of the Lakers back in the 2015 NBA draft, Russell went to Brooklyn after two seasons in Los Angeles. He returned to LA for the 2023-24 season, but after one-and-a-half years of his second stint, he returned to Brooklyn as part of a trade that also involved Maxwell Lewis and three second-round draft picks. The Lakers got Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in exchange.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
