Nets' D'Angelo Russell feels 'free' after Lakers trade

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D’Angelo Russell is adjusting to a featured role with the Brooklyn Nets following a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. After a tumultuous start to the season in Los Angeles under head coach JJ Redick, he’s enjoying the transition.

“I’ll never take being able to play free basketball like this for granted again,” Russell said on Tuesday. “I’m just adjusting, recalibrating a style of play that I haven’t played in a while. Having the ball, knowing that I’m gonna receive the ball and create for guys as well. Knowing that it’ll come back. Just finding ways to gain coach’s trust to where he feels like he can put the ball in my hands and know that I’m gonna get it to the right guy.

I’m just playing. Like I said, I won’t take this level of freeness for granted. I just came from where I came from, it’s a different style. So being here, I’m just embracing it.”

Russell played an integral role in the Lakers’ offense last season after they reacquired him from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the 2023 trade deadline. He averaged 18.0 points and 6.3 assists while shooting a career-high 41.5 percent from three on 7.2 attempts per game.

However, his role diminished early this season after Redick took over. A clip of the newly hired head coach reacting furiously to a Russell three-point attempt went viral during a Nov. 6 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Redick moved the veteran guard to the bench the following game, and the Lakers traded him with three second-round picks for Dorian Finney-Smith on Dec. 29.

The deal marked Los Angeles’ second time trading their former No. 2 pick to Brooklyn, having dealt him for Brook Lopez and a late first-round pick in 2017.

D’Angelo Russell enjoying featured role with Nets after Lakers turmoil

Russell played the best basketball of his career during his first stint with Brooklyn, averaging 19.0 points and 6.3 assists per game on 43/36/77 shooting splits over two seasons. The Ohio State product earned an All-Star nod in 2018-19 while leading the rebuilding Nets to the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed.

This year’s team has a different agenda during a tanking season. However, Russell has enjoyed a similar lead role, averaging 14.6 points per game on 40/37/96 shooting splits. Since joining the Nets, he ranks seventh in the NBA in assists (8.3 per game) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (3.95) among 26 players averaging over six dimes per game.

While the Nets have a 2-4 record when Russell has played, they’ve been competitive with him on the floor. The 28-year-old has posted a -0.6 box plus-minus, the team’s best mark among players averaging over 20 minutes per game.

Russell tallied 23 points and 10 assists with three turnovers during Tuesday’s 99-95 loss to the New York Knicks. He kept Brooklyn in the game for extended stretches, finishing a team-best +5 in 31 minutes.

“His impact on the group has been very positive,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said postgame. “He’s an excellent ball-handler and playmaker and scorer. He impacts the game in many ways and he understands the game. He communicates, so having that voice and that experience there makes everybody feel better. It makes me feel better, but I don’t play, and it also makes his teammates better because he makes things simple for everybody else.”

While he’s been impactful when on the floor, Russell has battled injuries while acclimating to a heavier on-ball role with Brooklyn. Since joining the team, he’s missed five of 12 games due to shin and hamstring ailments.

“For me, my body is not prepared for this. I didn’t prepare for this all season, all summer, so it’s an adjustment for me. My body’s adjusting as well,” he said. “Just [gotta] keep listening to the training staff. They’re putting me in the best position to adjust mid-season and not be vulnerable out there.”

D'Angelo Russell on adjusting to his role with the Nets after his trade from the Lakers:

"I'll never take being able to play free basketball like this for granted again." pic.twitter.com/mcbVZK6jfh

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 22, 2025

While winning will not be Brooklyn’s top priority during the second half of the season, Russell is playing for what could be his last significant NBA payday. The soon-to-be 29-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

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