2 weeks Ago
Midway through their season, the Brooklyn Nets made a series of moves to help bolster their roster, with one of these moves being the acquisition of D'Angelo Russell. The move allowed for the Nets to get a veteran leader on their team, which consists of a much younger core. But moving to Brooklyn wasn't exactly a tough task for Russell, given that he had been an all-star in the Barclays Center during his original two-year stint.
In his return to Brooklyn, Russell would play a sizable role, given the absence of the Nets’ leading scorer, Cam Thomas. Russell would average 12.9 points per game, converting on 36.
7 percent of his shots. But he wasn't acquired to be a scorer, but rather as someone to direct traffic on the court and find open teammates, as he'd dish out 5.6 assists per game.
While his recent stint with the Nets didn’t end in a post-season appearance, as Brooklyn finished in the 12th seed, he feels like it was quite the opportunity to participate in. "It was good, it was great, a great feeling..
. I think it was a great opportunity to plug into," explained Russell. "Obviously the Brooklyn way is different than every other way, so it definitely was an adjustment.
” It’s safe to say Russell knows the difficulties of adapting to new settings, given that he’s been a part of four different organziations over the course of his career. Getting to play under Jordi Fernandez’ system and operation wasn’t the only thing that Russell enjoyed about his return, as he was fond of the fan’s energy throughout the season. "It was exciting, the fans were great, just like I remember them," said Russell.
“The environment in the arena was great, things like that you remember, so it was great, it felt like a breeze." While Russell made his return in the middle of the season, it may be short lived, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which would make him an unrestricted free agent. All of this being said, Brooklyn is set to have a lot of cap space to spend in the offseason, which would aid in any attempts to retain the nine-year veteran.
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