Official D'Angelo Russell Thread

[IceManBK1]

the kinda game i like from dlo is the games where he's not overpassing or overchucking..take the game back on 3/17 vs Mavs as an example. efficient 9-17 from the field. 4-9 from 3. 4 rebs and 6 assists. i don't need to see double digit asst from him. if he has 6 or 7 asst while scoring an eficient 20+ pts. I know he's doing a good job of setting up his teammates while he mixes up his offense and not solely rely on 3s.

[vincecarter4pres]

Does he need to get stronger, more consistent with the 3pointer and stop being careless? yes. but the narrative being painted here is that this kid is some kind of idiot scrub...I've seen far too many positive things from him to think that poorly of him. I have to say vc4p i think that the criticism has gone off the rails a bit here and it sounds more like vitriol towards him than an actual grounded assessment.

Idk man, I'm trying to be honest with myself here, but I think it's very little personal bias out of fan aggravation. I think I'm just taking the Nets-fan-colored glasses off and evaluating Russell as a player/prospect with most of the emotion taken out of it. I'm not trying to portray him as a scrub, but I don't think the idiot thing can be pushed aside, when 50%+ of his floor time he is playing exactly as that. He has no focus and constantly does retard-ed things and has continuous hardcore visible brain farts. Russell is an immensely talented player, no one is questioning that. If he finally did put it all together he can be a multi-time All Star guard. I just don't see it as very likely and in fact I think his main flaws, his brain, will mean he's always an enigma, a very JR Smith like style player. Not style as in style of play, but that guy who is habitually having head full of **** moments, just constant cringe worthy, game losing stuff. So even if he becomes a slightly above average starter, it's attached to the distinct possibility, if not likelihood of, game losing moronicy on a nightly basis.

Has he shown me enough to support him getting a large extension? No. The only player on this team who warrants an immediate extension is Hollis-Jefferson because he is the only player on this team that shows up every night among the young guys. But he (Russell) has shown me enough to understand why Marks wanted to go after him and why he is worth developing. I'm not writing him off after 43 games in a season where he was derailed by injury. He's trying to figure it out, and he will need to learn to balance when to look for his own shot and when to make others around him better. He's 22, not 28. for some guys it takes time.

He was worth trading for. The question will be from now til next April: will he be worth extending for a substantial amount?

I'm not questioning why Marks went after him, I get it. Immensely talented, we were talent starved and had little opportunity to acquire a guy like him with no assets, Lakers specific situation, not any other teams willing to take on Mozgov or Deng, etc.

I get he's young and I hope he comes around too. I'm not writing him off already, I'm simply making evaluations based off observations and trying my hardest to take context into account. He's had some real wow moments, but so have guys like Mike James, Ish Smith, Marshon Brooks, Elfrid Payton, etc. He's more Dell Curry then Steph Curry, even though right now he's actually more Delonte West than anything.

All I'm saying is if I'm Marks I'd be listening to offers.

[MrDollarBills]

I think what your describing about Russell's on court intelligence is somewhat overblown, but I understand the frustration because seeing him struggle to figure it out while we keep losing makes things seem worse than they really are. But I will say this...he's not the only one out there doing dumb things. This team has 25 wins for a reason and it's not solely based on Russell having mental lapses. Russell, LeVert, RHJ, Dinwiddie, Allen, and even Crabbe have all had their share of mental errors. Re: Russell, his turnovers have been cut down post all star break and he's been moving the ball a lot better. I see a concerted effort to run the offense, its just a matter of cutting out the careless mistakes which i believe is something that can be fixed.

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

Also, read what you're saying about him. If you believe it all to be 100% true, exactly what offers do you think that Marks is getting?

I am in total agreement that he has things to improve on and he needs to be mature enough to know when and where to pick his spots. But I don't see the "stupid" player you're describing. The kind of passing ability that he has displayed isn't the hall mark of someone who is totally braindead on the court.

[shakendfries]

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

There's a difference between sharing the ball, largely making good decisions, being the main reason the team is in the game, and making some mental errors late, and starting off the game with behavior that has your team down 20, with a coach who emphasizes getting off to a good start so it doesn't snowball into a blowout - especially late in the season when guys tend to "give up", pack it in, and start thinking about vacation. The Grizzlies did lose by 60 the other day.

[Claud]

I think what your describing about Russell's on court intelligence is somewhat overblown, but I understand the frustration because seeing him struggle to figure it out while we keep losing makes things seem worse than they really are. But I will say this...he's not the only one out there doing dumb things. This team has 25 wins for a reason and it's not solely based on Russell having mental lapses. Russell, LeVert, RHJ, Dinwiddie, Allen, and even Crabbe have all had their share of mental errors. Re: Russell, his turnovers have been cut down post all star break and he's been moving the ball a lot better. I see a concerted effort to run the offense, its just a matter of cutting out the careless mistakes which i believe is something that can be fixed.

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

Also, read what you're saying about him. If you believe it all to be 100% true, exactly what offers do you think that Marks is getting?

I am in total agreement that he has things to improve on and he needs to be mature enough to know when and where to pick his spots. But I don't see the "stupid" player you're describing. The kind of passing ability that he has displayed isn't the hall mark of someone who is totally braindead on the court.

For me it's because Levert, Allen, and RHJ play always hustle and play defense while Dlo is inconsistent in his efforts.

I preach we need to be patient with Dlo but there's no denying that as of now he's a very flawed player. Talented but flawed.

None of the kids are perfect but what drives Kenny insane with Dlo is his poor defensive efforts which is understandable.

I think we need to give him more time with Kenny and the staff to improve. I think a full summer working his ass off will benefit him

plus it will be a contract year so I'm sure he wants to play as good as possible to get paid.

I don't consider him untouchable so he's gone for the right price but now we need to support him and hope he improves.

[MrDollarBills]

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

There's a difference between sharing the ball, largely making good decisions, being the main reason the team is in the game, and making some mental errors late, and starting off the game with behavior that has your team down 20, with a coach who emphasizes getting off to a good start so it doesn't snowball into a blowout - especially late in the season when guys tend to "give up", pack it in, and start thinking about vacation. The Grizzlies did lose by 60 the other day.

Correct. But is this an every game thing with Russell though? I didn't see the Heat game's first quarter so I really don't know what constituted his benching.

Overall, I think he's been better at sharing the ball and taking care of it as of late than he was when he started the season. I think they're getting through to him but its not easy for him or the coaches. it takes time and patience.

[MrDollarBills]

I think what your describing about Russell's on court intelligence is somewhat overblown, but I understand the frustration because seeing him struggle to figure it out while we keep losing makes things seem worse than they really are. But I will say this...he's not the only one out there doing dumb things. This team has 25 wins for a reason and it's not solely based on Russell having mental lapses. Russell, LeVert, RHJ, Dinwiddie, Allen, and even Crabbe have all had their share of mental errors. Re: Russell, his turnovers have been cut down post all star break and he's been moving the ball a lot better. I see a concerted effort to run the offense, its just a matter of cutting out the careless mistakes which i believe is something that can be fixed.

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

Also, read what you're saying about him. If you believe it all to be 100% true, exactly what offers do you think that Marks is getting?

I am in total agreement that he has things to improve on and he needs to be mature enough to know when and where to pick his spots. But I don't see the "stupid" player you're describing. The kind of passing ability that he has displayed isn't the hall mark of someone who is totally braindead on the court.

For me it's because Levert, Allen, and RHJ play always hustle and play defense while Dlo is inconsistent in his efforts.

I preach we need to be patient with Dlo but there's no denying that as of now he's a very flawed player. Talented but flawed.

None of the kids are perfect but what drives Kenny insane with Dlo is his poor defensive efforts which is understandable.

I think we need to give him more time with Kenny and the staff to improve. I think a full summer working his ass off will benefit him

plus it will be a contract year so I'm sure he wants to play as good as possible to get paid.

I don't consider him untouchable so he's gone for the right price but now we need to support him and hope he improves.

I think the carelessness and the shot selection are the bigger issues.

His defense is a part of a major problem on this team is as a whole we're one of the worst defensive teams in the league. The way we defend screen plays and going small a lot are also apart of the problem. Kenny and his staff need to reevaluate what we're doing as a team defensively and in game situational adjustments to remedy this. As was discussed in the other thread, a poor defender at PG is not automatically the cause of bad defensive team.

But I'm with you...I see what he needs to fix and am willing to be patient. He will need to really work hard this summer and come into next season with less bad habits and more consistency, otherwise he won't be getting paid.

[steady]

The team needs to improve defensively for sure. But I do think KA needs to be credited for getting the team to be ranked 13 defensively through the months of Dec and Jan, which is when almost everybody except Russell/Lin were healthy.

They stumbled badly in Feb dropping to 27th in defense, with RHJ going down on Jan 26, and LeVert about a week later.

March - Even with RHJ returning in end of February, he was playing with bench, so it was natural that the numbers for March would still suffer somewhat. But the Nets defense not only did not get better, it got worse in March. From 27th in defense in Feb, to 28th in March. Which should not have happened given RHJ and LeVert's return.

I'm not saying DLo is solely responsible for drop off. He is clearly not. And there is a readjustment everyone had to make with replacing Spencer with DLo in starting lineup. The simple fact of making such a change in personnel is going to take toll. But DLo does deserve some of the blame.

He returned to play Jan 28 and returned to starting line up Feb 28th

[MrDollarBills]

But DLo does deserve some of the blame.

Agreed 100%.

I think he's better off guarding twos than ones, but that's just my opinion.

[kamaze]

Him playing 2 next to Dinwiddie failed miserably so much that Dinwiddie regressed and had to go to the bench. It's all on D'Angelo putting the work in and committing to his role but that's not who he is. I'm not hating on the guy that's his persona arrogant, "my legacy" immature, lazy player. That's just the reality we all want a lightbulb to go on in his head but he is who he is and yes I know he's young.

Either you have it or you don't more often than not he doesn't. Prove me wrong Dlo

[steady]

Russell is going to get better. I am very far from throwing in the towel on him.

[kamaze]

I think what your describing about Russell's on court intelligence is somewhat overblown, but I understand the frustration because seeing him struggle to figure it out while we keep losing makes things seem worse than they really are. But I will say this...he's not the only one out there doing dumb things. This team has 25 wins for a reason and it's not solely based on Russell having mental lapses. Russell, LeVert, RHJ, Dinwiddie, Allen, and even Crabbe have all had their share of mental errors. Re: Russell, his turnovers have been cut down post all star break and he's been moving the ball a lot better. I see a concerted effort to run the offense, its just a matter of cutting out the careless mistakes which i believe is something that can be fixed.

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

Also, read what you're saying about him. If you believe it all to be 100% true, exactly what offers do you think that Marks is getting?

I am in total agreement that he has things to improve on and he needs to be mature enough to know when and where to pick his spots. But I don't see the "stupid" player you're describing. The kind of passing ability that he has displayed isn't the hall mark of someone who is totally braindead on the court.

When a player is as talented as him and gets the attention he does it's natural for people to over analyze his game. When an NBA player doesn't perform he gets criticized. Fans should be honest and criticize bad play.

“People get confused with being a leader by what they say,” Hollis-Jefferson said earlier in the season. “It’s about what you do and your work ethic and how you come in every day.”

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't want to work hard.

[MrDollarBills]

Him playing 2 next to Dinwiddie failed miserably so much that Dinwiddie regressed and had to go to the bench. It's all on D'Angelo putting the work in and committing to his role but that's not who he is. I'm not hating on the guy that's his persona arrogant, "my legacy" immature, lazy player. That's just the reality we all want a lightbulb to go on in his head but he is who he is and yes I know he's young.

Either you have it or you don't more often than not he doesn't. Prove me wrong Dlo

Spencer Dinwiddie's play regressing after the all star break is Russell's fault?

So he's the reason as to why our defense is bad, and is also the reason why Spencer has played like **** over the last 45 days?

anything else we want to blame this kid for?

[MrDollarBills]

I think what your describing about Russell's on court intelligence is somewhat overblown, but I understand the frustration because seeing him struggle to figure it out while we keep losing makes things seem worse than they really are. But I will say this...he's not the only one out there doing dumb things. This team has 25 wins for a reason and it's not solely based on Russell having mental lapses. Russell, LeVert, RHJ, Dinwiddie, Allen, and even Crabbe have all had their share of mental errors. Re: Russell, his turnovers have been cut down post all star break and he's been moving the ball a lot better. I see a concerted effort to run the offense, its just a matter of cutting out the careless mistakes which i believe is something that can be fixed.

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

Also, read what you're saying about him. If you believe it all to be 100% true, exactly what offers do you think that Marks is getting?

I am in total agreement that he has things to improve on and he needs to be mature enough to know when and where to pick his spots. But I don't see the "stupid" player you're describing. The kind of passing ability that he has displayed isn't the hall mark of someone who is totally braindead on the court.

When a player is as talented as him and gets the attention he does it's natural for people to over analyze his game. When an NBA player doesn't perform he gets criticized. Fans should be honest and criticize bad play.

“People get confused with being a leader by what they say,” Hollis-Jefferson said earlier in the season. “It’s about what you do and your work ethic and how you come in every day.”

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't want to work hard.

No one said that he doesn't deserve criticism. I just think a lot of what is being vented on is overblown, especially comments like he's stupid or that he's not a good player. It's beyond ridiculous. That also includes you blaming him for Spencer Dinwiddie playing like garbage, or blaming him for our team defense being bad. There's objective criticism, which there is plenty of in this thread, and things that really don't have much merit in the discussion.

I really hope this kid puts it all together, because this thread will look as bad as the Hollis-Jefferson thread does when a year ago people were calling him a d leaguer who won't make it in the NBA. As a Nets fan, I will be rooting for this kid to make this vitriol look foolish.

[MGrand15]

Russell's no scrub but I think his draft slot or college projections make people look at him as this guy with a super high ceiling. 3 years in the league and he hasn't proven to be a good 3pt shooter or attack the rim guy. That SIGNIFICANTLY lowers your ceiling.

Not writing him off at all. I think with an off season of work and more experience in the system, he could easily have an above average shooting season from 3. Or even a better understanding of how he can succeed in the league (less usage, less shots, more spot ups + playmaking). But projections need to adjust as the sample size increases.

[kamaze]

Him playing 2 next to Dinwiddie failed miserably so much that Dinwiddie regressed and had to go to the bench. It's all on D'Angelo putting the work in and committing to his role but that's not who he is. I'm not hating on the guy that's his persona arrogant, "my legacy" immature, lazy player. That's just the reality we all want a lightbulb to go on in his head but he is who he is and yes I know he's young.

Either you have it or you don't more often than not he doesn't. Prove me wrong Dlo

Spencer Dinwiddie's play regressing after the all star break is Russell's fault?

So he's the reason as to why our defense is bad, and is also the reason why Spencer has played like **** over the last 45 days?

anything else we want to blame this kid for?

A bad apple spoils the bunch.

[vincecarter4pres]

No one said that he doesn't deserve criticism. I just think a lot of what is being vented on is overblown, especially comments like he's stupid or that he's not a good player. It's beyond ridiculous.

Idk man, what's so ridiculous? He's a below average player statistically and a bad player by the eye test. And he's very basketball dumb a significant chunk of the time he's out there. If he weren't a Net, would you be calling these observations ridiculous?

Listen, I hope this thread is a lot like the RHJ one as well and those of us riding him either look stupid ourselves, or not necessarily stupid, but he turns a major corner and the hopeful what if's happen. But I don't see how it isn't warranted as of now, context or not?

[kamaze]

I think what your describing about Russell's on court intelligence is somewhat overblown, but I understand the frustration because seeing him struggle to figure it out while we keep losing makes things seem worse than they really are. But I will say this...he's not the only one out there doing dumb things. This team has 25 wins for a reason and it's not solely based on Russell having mental lapses. Russell, LeVert, RHJ, Dinwiddie, Allen, and even Crabbe have all had their share of mental errors. Re: Russell, his turnovers have been cut down post all star break and he's been moving the ball a lot better. I see a concerted effort to run the offense, its just a matter of cutting out the careless mistakes which i believe is something that can be fixed.

Caris LeVert had two huge turnovers in the 4th in two games during this stretch and no one says a peep (5 second violation in one game, careless turnover in another). When Russell does it, we get responses like yours. I don't get that. There has been zero patience for this kid from the day he got here.

Also, read what you're saying about him. If you believe it all to be 100% true, exactly what offers do you think that Marks is getting?

I am in total agreement that he has things to improve on and he needs to be mature enough to know when and where to pick his spots. But I don't see the "stupid" player you're describing. The kind of passing ability that he has displayed isn't the hall mark of someone who is totally braindead on the court.

When a player is as talented as him and gets the attention he does it's natural for people to over analyze his game. When an NBA player doesn't perform he gets criticized. Fans should be honest and criticize bad play.

“People get confused with being a leader by what they say,” Hollis-Jefferson said earlier in the season. “It’s about what you do and your work ethic and how you come in every day.”

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't want to work hard.

No one said that he doesn't deserve criticism. I just think a lot of what is being vented on is overblown, especially comments like he's stupid or that he's not a good player. It's beyond ridiculous. That also includes you blaming him for Spencer Dinwiddie playing like garbage, or blaming him for our team defense being bad. There's objective criticism, which there is plenty of in this thread, and things that really don't have much merit in the discussion.

I really hope this kid puts it all together, because this thread will look as bad as the Hollis-Jefferson thread does when a year ago people were calling him a d leaguer who won't make it in the NBA. As a Nets fan, I will be rooting for this kid to make this vitriol look foolish.

You think being honest about a player on a fan board is ridiculous lol.
You be a fan your your way I'll be a fan my way I try not to call people out for not being honest and admitting he's a flawed player.

I hope it works out too but he gives me a headache .

[kamaze]

No one said that he doesn't deserve criticism. I just think a lot of what is being vented on is overblown, especially comments like he's stupid or that he's not a good player. It's beyond ridiculous.

Idk man, what's so ridiculous? He's a below average player statistically and a bad player by the eye test. And he's very basketball dumb a significant chunk of the time he's out there. If he weren't a Net, would you be calling these observations ridiculous?

Listen, I hope this thread is a lot like the RHJ one as well and those of us riding him either look stupid ourselves, or not necessarily stupid, but he turns a major corner and the hopeful what if's happen. But I don't see how it isn't warranted as of now, context or not?

No one looks stupid for calling out bad play that's called being honest. Don't fall for the okie doke.
I give him his props when he does well (even though that's what he's supposed to do).

[Prokorov]

The carelessness, turnovers, bbiq,mental stuff is all irrelevant. the bigger is he is going to command a ton of money and i dont think he: A) fits the team or B) is a perrenial all-star. i know im a broken record but to me he is monte ellis not james harden.

i am encouraged he was hitting threes at 40% in march. thats the only thing IMO that would keep him here long term if he does that for his career not just a month here and there.

he needs to be a great/elite jump shooter, not just a good/very good