On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers traded a package centered around guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets and received forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton in return.
Russell will be heading from one of the better teams in the Western Conference so far this season in the Lakers to a Nets team that could very well miss out on the playoffs entirely.
But according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Dan Woike, Russell is “excited” to begin his second stint in Brooklyn.
— Dan Woike (@danwoikesports.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 1:55 PM
Across 29 games played with the Lakers in the 2024-25 campaign, Russell averaged 26.3 minutes of playing time per contest. In his entire NBA career, he’s only averaged less playing time than that in one other season.
Furthermore, Russell saw his scoring average dip from 18.0 points per game a season ago to a career-low 12.4 per game this season under head coach J.J. Redick.
Russell could have a larger role on the offensive end of the floor for a Nets team that’s struggled on that side of the ball so far. Brooklyn is scoring just 108.1 points per contest this season (the team’s Sunday outing against the Orlando Magic notwithstanding), a mark that ranks 26th in the league.
The Nets also don’t have a single player on their roster who’s averaging 20-plus points per contest outside of guard Cam Thomas. Thomas entered Sunday’s action averaging a team-high 24.7 points per game, but across just 17 appearances.
Especially now that guard Dennis Schroder is a member of the Golden State Warriors and not the Nets, fans should expect Brooklyn to give Russell a key role. After Brooklyn’s matchup against the Magic on Sunday, the team won’t play again until the start of the new year on Jan. 1.
Perhaps Russell will kick off his second stint as a Net in that contest, which will come against a lowly Toronto Raptors squad that’s near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
