Nestled in-between Nets GM Sean Marks, head coach Kenny Atkinson, and newly acquired center Timofey Mozgov, Brooklyn’s future shuffled up to the podium.
D’Angelo Russell — donning thin gold glasses and his signature twists — was introduced as Brooklyn’s new point guard on Monday. He’s the player the Nets hope becomes the recognizable face of a franchise without much to show for itself.
It was as if Brooklyn was introducing its newest first-round draft pick.
That, of course, wasn’t the case.
The Nets were the worst team in the NBA last season, but a ballsy trade gone wrong in 2013 cost Brooklyn its future. Instead, the Nets watched the Boston Celtics claim the No. 1 overall pick before dealing it to the 76ers.
Boston owns Brooklyn’s pick next year, too. So when the opportunity arose for the Nets to get a potential future All-Star in such an early stage of his career, Brooklyn did what it does best.
“We’re always in talent acquisition mode here, we will be for awhile,” Marks said during Monday’s introductory press conference. “But I think adding a player, specifically D’Angelo, who’s 21, we could have easily drafted someone a year older than him. So the fact that we get somebody here 21 years old, can develop — Kenny and our player development coaches, as I’ve said many times, that’s what I’m banking on.”
The Nets acquired Russell in a trade that signaled the changing of the guards.
Brooklyn sent the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Brook Lopez, to the Lakers. Lopez is entering the final year of his contract worth $22.6 million, which would have come off Brooklyn’s salary cap to sign free agents next summer. Instead, they took back Mozgov and the three years worth of $48 million left on his deal.
That’s because developing Russell into the star many project is worth the cap hit.
Make no mistake: Russell isn’t a finished product. He’ll be the first to admit it.
The dynamic point guard averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 assists in his sophomore year with the Lakers but found himself benched at different points in the season. It was an unceremonious end to a second year that followed a rookie season underscored by off-court trouble and whispers of a lack of maturity.
“I control what I can control,” Russell repeated throughout his interview.
But Russell does feel he’s “ahead of [his] curve.” He’s never satisfied with his game but continues to put the work in. Publicly, he refuses to use Magic Johnson’s public criticism toward his leadership as motivation.
“Me proving everybody wrong is not my focus,” he responded while calling Johnson’s comment “irrelevant.”
Instead, Russell will continue to put the work in. He worked out in Brooklyn on Sunday, hitting the practice gym by himself. He expected a few of his new teammates to show, but he willingly commanded the attention of player development coach Chris Brickley all by himself.
Brooklyn’s put an emphasis on defense, though you couldn’t tell through its league-worst 20-62 record. It’s an area Russell knows he has to improve and has labeled an area of focus over the years to come.
“I definitely wanna embrace being on defense,” Russell said. “I think the attitude of wanting to play defense can change your whole perspective towards it. So that’s really my focus right now.”
Russell had a lot to overcome in his first two seasons. He had a much-publicized Snapchat feud with teammate Nick Young, resulting in Young calling off the wedding with ex-fiancee Iggy Azalea.
He was benched in the second half of the season, then reinserted as an off-guard. He had his leadership questioned as the Lakers moved onto Lonzo Ball as their point guard of the future.
But as Russell likes to say, he’ll control what he can control. And what he can control is his play on a budding, young Brooklyn team moving forward.
The Nets didn’t have a lottery pick in this year’s draft, and unless they trade for one next season, they’ll be on the outside looking in again. But they landed D’Angelo Russell, a point guard they hope to develop into the face of the franchise — a face the Lakers once hoped would be theirs before they quickly soured on him.
Maybe it won’t work in Brooklyn, either. But if you’re a team with the NBA’s worst record, getting a young player of his caliber is all you can ask.
Comments
This dude is a BUST!
So he goes from LA big market to Brooklyn a big market. Both a bad destination for him.
I hope the nets are not counting on him for too much. I saw a lot of him in LA and he really is not that good and has low basketball IQ.
By A N T O N 1 O on 06.26.17 7:10pm
I agree
Forget the highlight videos (which cherry pick good plays only). I watched Russell’s games from start to finish from over here in the East Coast. Just by watching him, I would never, EVER have guessed he was a 2nd overall pick. So many games where he was 3-9, or 4-10 from the field and so ineffectual. He lacks dynamism. He is slow and he doesn’t create separation.
You don’t know how many times I saw their 2nd rounder Clarkson outplay him. Showing better athleticism, hops, you name it. And Clarkson is a very flawed player.
Don’t get the love affair with D’angelo.
But I hope you, me the Lakers front office and every other front office that didn’t want this guy are totally wrong and Marks and Atkinson are right.
Not holding my breath.
By OpposeCensorshi on 06.27.17 1:53pm
So a 21year old is a bust
This is what Laker fans wish is true.
By Rawdawg05 on 06.27.17 2:23pm
We counting on him shooting that three and making them nice left hand passes....
You know the one thing the Nets have that the Lakers don’t… Kenny Atkinson, and Sean Marks.
They’ve never bad mouth any player. #CULTURE
By mike&thenets on 06.27.17 5:21pm
The insanity to call this kid a bust. He is nice.
He is going to KILL in Brooklyn.
By SCI-OPS NYC on 06.27.17 5:39pm
At least there is a future
Russell may very well be as big a bust in Brooklyn as he was in LA, but so what? Billy King destroyed the Nets for a decade with his ignorance. Repairing that damage is not a 2 season fix. Right now, the Nets are looking at 3-4 years at a minimum, to become legitimate, not contenders, just legitimate. Russell has the athletic ability to at least make the games more entertaining.
I’m going to trust that Marks and Atkinson know more than the general public, and give them the benefit of the doubt. If they can salvage Russell, the deal ws a steal. If they can’t, what did they really give up?
By Bob Fowler on 06.26.17 8:29pm
Brook Lopez, who whether we would’ve otherwise kept him or dealt him elsewhere, is a significant loss.
But otherwise, I agree with your outlook
By Wa_Sab_ on 06.27.17 11:30am
Nets have a quiet nice young core. With no pressure cuz what everyone talks about is what Billy King has done and kids like Rondae, Levert & Russell can grow
They have other kids too. Whitehead. Goodwin. Dinwiddie. Combo guards galore. Nets going to shock the world.
By SCI-OPS NYC on 06.27.17 5:42pm
3-4 years is being generous
With no 1st round pick until 2019, I think Brooklyn becoming respectable before 2022 is a long shot. They know the Mozgov deal means nothing in the grand scheme of things. He’ll be gone before the team can possibly compete (and maybe have value as an expiring contract).
By JJJ on 06.26.17 8:43pm
Sorry, that was meant as a reply to Bob Fowler
Regardless, there’s no way you can’t love this trade if you’re a Nets fan. Nothing to lose by taking the chance on Russell except time, and right now Brooklyn has all the time in the world.
By JJJ on 06.26.17 8:44pm
JJJ why you acting like the Nets can't buy a first? Thats such an easy fix.
Remember where Jonathan Simmons (walk on practice) , Yogi Ferrell (all rookie second team), Spencer Dinwiddie, Archie Goodwin, (Gleague) JLin (GLEAGUE and Atkinson product) came from. There is talent all over the world, to include overseas.
And the way the Association is going overseas players may be more valuable, because of their style of play.
The draft is a crap shoot, remember these players Kwame Brown, Michael Olawakandi, Darko Milicic, Greg Oden, Anthony Bennet…The draft is overrated.
By mike&thenets on 06.27.17 5:34pm
Nets don't need a first round pick. They have too much youth as is. They have tons of youth and need a good FA this year and next when 20 more million comes off cap.
They can also sign Otto Porter this and still get a big FA next with $26m in cap space.
By SCI-OPS NYC on 06.27.17 5:44pm
Proving they can even manage to screw up lottery picks they never had.
By BeTheBall on 06.26.17 11:24pm
Boy, do I hope I'm wrong...
But this guy was rejected by two coaches (one old school, one new school, Scott and Walton) and two different front offices (even the previous FO prior to Magic tried to package him to Sac for Cousins — and Sac didn’t seem to want him).
He looks slow to me, lacks an explosive first step (I think of Kyrie, Steph, Harden, Russell and the other elite point/combo guards and this guy doesn’t come close). His outside shot is very hot and cold.
Honestly, he looks less explosive attacking the rim than Jeremy Lin. Heck, even less explosive than Tyler Johnson, whom we tried to get last year.
But, if somehow this kid can develop a 3 point shot at a 40-44% clip,then maybe we have something. He has very good passing vision, which is a plus.
This trade was widely praised by many people I respect, so really hoping those experts know something that the Lakers couldn’t figure out (or that my eyes can’t see when I watched this kid the past two years…)
By OpposeCensorshi on 06.27.17 12:49pm
Coaching was horrid
his first year. He also had to play with the notorious ego and confidence killer in Kobe. He had to play with Nick young. Nuff said.
Walton is a rookie coach and he played much better the second part of the year after the trade.
He has the same skills all people saw for the 2 pick. Most players take 3-4 years to show promise and longer to really become players.
By Rawdawg05 on 06.27.17 2:26pm
That's a horrible argument
So take the case of Kristaps Porzingis. He has played under two bad coaches in Derek Fischer and Jeff Hornacek. He has played under a crappy, antiquated Triangle Offense imposed by the senile Phil Jackson. He has to play with the ball hog extraordinaire named Carmelo Anthony, who makes Kobe seem like Magic Johnson in terms of selflessness. He played with a plethora of injuries.
And yet he still crushed it, coming only second to Karl Anthony Towns in PPG for 2nd year players. And the reason is because his athleticism and talent is so supreme, he could drive and dunk and dominate his one-on-one matchups and look like the 2nd coming doing it. Coaching didn’t matter, System didn’t matter. CARMELO DIDN’T MATTER.
And when the Phil Jackson floated a trade for him, 28 teams contacted them. And according to Woj, the Lakers wanted " a King’s Ransom" for him.
Contrast that to the crickets for a D’angelo trade.
Look, you can think I’m stupid, I’m a hater, I’m a moron. Whatever. But just wait. You will see. When he has the ball and he attempts to drive by people, he will get stymied. He can’t drive on people. We have a point guard now that literally can’t finish at the rim. That’s huge.
Forget about coaching, forget about the system. On his one-on-one matchups, when it’s him versus the player, versus the basket, he suffered. He lacked the talent and skill to create separation and dominate (like a Porzingis).
Just wait, he will put on a dribbling exhibition, a few behind the back moves, a juke here and there — but he’s not getting anywhere. Not getting by people, not creating space. Just wasted motion and energy…
I Pray that he develops an elite level 3 point shooting, because that’s our only hope. He lacks the speed/quickness/muscle twitch to be that elite franchise player…
Hope I’m wrong.
By OpposeCensorshi on 06.27.17 4:06pm
The Triangle is perfect for Porzingis. He only thrived is because Kristaps been a pro since he was 15. Been in top Euro league 3 years before he got here
The secret no one knows is Kristaps may have no more upside. This may be it for him. He’s an injury away from being just another guy.
By SCI-OPS NYC on 06.27.17 5:46pm
You might be right..
…in an ideal world. But i’ve read players like Porzingis himself talk about how nobody knows what they are doing/being lost in the triangle. And even with all those problems, you can still see how beastly he is.
Never heard the terms "beastly" and "monster" associated with D’angelo, but hope you are right.
It’s hard for me to express it. Russell’s game lacks power and athleticism. It’s almost too finesse. I know, I know. Curry. But Curry shot 44% from 3 as a rookie and he has really good deceptive quickness. But that three ball is the key… if Russell develops that shot at an elite level, I’ll re-evaulate.
By OpposeCensorshi on 06.27.17 6:10pm
OpposeCensorshi, you do know he is 21 right?
and it’s the coach’s job to maximize his player talents… Atkinson will.
"Forget about coaching, forget about the system. On his one-on-one matchups, when it’s him versus the player, versus the basket, he suffered. He lacked the talent and skill to create separation and dominate (like a Porzingis)."
Why would we forget about coach and system… I would say that is the most important thing to worry about when a player is transitioning from College to the NBA at 19. That’s the foundation for a player of Russel’s caliber. Perfect example Kyle Lowry… he was on his way out the league under Hollins from what I can remember. He also clashed with Mchale in Houston.. But when he got to Toronto, one would say he… progressed immensely.
In this offense, I think Russell will thrive… simply because the ball has to stay moving, and we will most likely have two play makers on the floor the majority of the time…
Russell and KP are two different players..
I’m ready for the season to start.
By mike&thenets on 06.27.17 5:54pm
Lowry is very different
He was behind a stud in Conley at Memphis.
Lowry himself was a stud and recognized as such by the league, just underutilized being behind Conley. Great quickness and potential on offense and an absolute bulldog on defense.
I don’t see any similarity at all between Lowry’s game and Russell. He has so much more raw talent in my eyes than D’Slow…
Hope you are right, but I’m pessimistic.
By OpposeCensorshi on 06.27.17 6:07pm
Walton is a coach???
"He looks slow to me, lacks an explosive first step (I think of Kyrie, Steph, Harden, Russell and the other elite point/combo guards and this guy doesn’t come close). His outside shot is very hot and cold." Didnt he put 40 up on Kyrie?? Bet you Kyrie didn’t think he was slow.
And if the two front offices tried to trade him for the same incident ….does that count? C’mon now….
By mike&thenets on 06.27.17 5:39pm
Beggers can't be choosers
If the Nets had #2 pick in 2015 draft, would either Billy King or Sean Marks have picked D’Angelo Russell?
No.
If we could Monday Morning Quarterback 2015 Draft, where would D’Angelo Russell be selected?
Top 3? Top 6? Top 10?
In this past 2017 draft, where would today’s 21yr old D’Angelo Russell have been selected?
Top 3? Top 6? Top 10?
By 3ptChucker on 06.27.17 6:10pm