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Luke Walton, former coach of Brooklyn Nets point guard D'Angelo Russell, has kept a close eye on his progress after the Los Angeles Lakers opted to trade him and big man Timofey Mozgov for cornerstone center Brook Lopez during the summer.
The Lakers needed to free up a way for Lonzo Ball's driveway to the point guard position, doing so by getting rid of their former No. 2 overall pick and shipping him eastward after showing various signs of inconsistency as the team's floor general.
Russell has flourished in his new role with the Nets, taking the bulk of the scoring in the absence of Jeremy Lin, who suffered a freak injury in the opening day of the season — freeing up even more minutes for his involvement with the first unit.
“Obviously, being one of our own guys, I tune in and check him out,” Walton said Russell, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. “He's been playing great. I'm happy for him. He's shooting the ball well. Putting up big numbers. And they're having some success right now.”
Russell has netted 29 or more points three different times this season, averaging 21.7 points at a 46 percent clip, 5.0 assists, 4.1 rebounds and a steal per game, leading the Nets to a 3-4 start this season.
Ball meanwhile has struggled with his shooting to start his NBA career, shooting a combined .333/.286/.556 line this young season, but coupling his 10.4 points with 7.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists through seven games.
Both teams will face off on Friday night, but the Nets will have the advantage of playing only twice this week, while the Lakers will host them at the latter end of a back-to-back scenario after facing the Portland Trail Blazers tonight.
