LOS ANGELES – Before Lou Williams hit the buzzer-beating shot to send the L.A. Clippers to a win over the Brooklyn Nets, guard D'Angelo Russell sparked a 10-0 run in a minute of action to help his team tie the game with six seconds left. Everyone knows what happened from there, as Williams drained a game-winner with no time on the clock. What some didn't get to see (or hear), however, was Williams' praise for Russell after the game.
Russell finished the game with 32 points and 10 assists as the Nets nearly pulling off an improbable comeback in the final minutes. Following the game, Williams discussed the development of his former Los Angeles Lakers' teammate, and dismissed any notion that Russell's a ‘late bloomer.'
“He's not a late bloomer at all,” responded Lou, seemingly turned off at the term. “I think people expect you to be a star right away nowadays in this league. The guy's in his 4th year & he's an All-Star. That's early to me. There's a lot of guys who don't have that opportunity. He's doing a great job of leading that Brooklyn team. Maybe the Lakers thing didn't work out for him, but it looks like he's found a home in Brooklyn. He's playing happy and free and doing his thing. I don’t think he’s a late bloomer, he’s right on time.”
#Clippers' Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) on #Nets' D'Angelo Russell (@Dloading)- "He's not a late bloomer at all. I think people expect you to be a star right away nowadays. The guy's in his 4th year & he's an All-Star. I don’t think he’s a late bloomer, he’s right on time.”#Lakers pic.twitter.com/nzFy62thKM
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 19, 2019
Russell was named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his young career this season. He's been averaging 20.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers per game on 43.2 percent shooting from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.
According to NBA.com/stats, Russell's also averaging 30.5 percent usage rate for the Nets this season while having the best assist-to-turnover ratio on his team. He's playing a career-high 30.1 minutes per game, up from his 25.7 last year, and he's not only increased his assist averages (6.9 per), but he's slightly lowered his turnover numbers from last year as well down from 3.1 to 3.0.
Even Clippers' head coach Doc Rivers wasn't surprised by how good Russell has been, especially since his departure from the team that drafted him, the Lakers. Rivers even went as far as to suggest the Lakers gave up on him way too soon.
“I’ve kind of known him,” said Rivers. “He played at Monteverde in Orlando. He played a lot in the summer with Austin, so I’ve been able to see him for a long, long time. I was disappointed early on because I just thought he was really good.
“Sometimes, you’ve just got to wait on a kid. Same thing with teams. Especially this young group, there’s so many guys… You look at each draft, there are these guys that come out at 19 and they don’t take off right away. They get moved around and then next thing you know, they are [good] players! It happens more than we know, and with D’Angelo, it happened to him.”
On Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings, Russell blew up for 44 points and 12 assists, including 27 fourth quarter points. The Nets, who trailed by as many as 28 points late in the third quarter, outscored the Kings 45-18 and completed the biggest comeback in franchise history.
The Nets have a really good, collective group of talented guys, but they've also watched Russell emerge as their star. A team that was expected to be in the lottery this June has stunned many as they appear close to locking in a playoff appearance as the other team in New York.
Although he's struggled at times, Russell has taken on a bigger leadership role and worked hard to take his game to a higher level. Head coach Kenny Atkinson explained the process with Russell, saying it isn't just a one or two year thing with most players.
“I don't know what that development window looks like,” admitted Atkinson before the Clippers game. “For some guys, it's not one year. It's only LeBron… I can't think of a ton of guys that have had it happen from year one or year two. The way I've looked at it, it's a three or four year process. He obviously gets a lot of credit for his development, but I also think it's the right time, right place for him. He's just matured so much. Obviously, he's got a huge opportunity with us, we handed him the ball from day one. Again, he just continues to improve.”
One of the knocks on Russell over the last few years has been his inability to consistently get to the free throw line. He's getting to the line just 2.5 times per game this season, but converting on 80 percent of his free throws. He's never averaged more than 3.0 free throws per game in a season, but Atkinson isn't too worried about that with Russell still learning how to use and better his body.
“He's had a great year for us. He keeps improving. I think he's exceeded expectations this early. He's improved his body a ton. He's a super high IQ player, who really knows how to play the game. I think if his body improves and he gets a little mature, he's just gonna keep getting better. He's scratching the elite level in this league at a young age.”
Russell has been a significant player in the Nets turnaround, and the 22-year old appears to have a bright future ahead of him if he continues to improve at this current pace.
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