Well, it did not take long for D'Angelo Russell to make a statement.

After missing the last three games with an ankle injury, Russell exploded for a career-high 52 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

He also made Warriors history in the process, doing something that has not been done since the days of Hall of Fame forward Rick Barry (via Eric Ting of SFGate):

He was the first Warrior to have 50+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a game since Rick Barry.

In addition to scoring 52 points, Russell grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists.

The team stated the last Warrior to match or exceed those totals in a single game was Rick Barry, who had 55 points, nine rebounds and nine assists during a game in 1978.

Russell went 19-of-37 from the field–including 7-of-17 from the three-point line–and posted a 40.9 Game Score, making it one of the 40-best individual performances in league history.

Unfortunately for Russell and the Warriors, the Timberwolves launched a massive comeback in the fourth quarter and went on to win the game in overtime.

Russell has already had a whirlwind of a season. There were questions about how he would mesh with Stephen Curry, only to watch Curry break his hand in the fourth game of the season.

With Curry out for the foreseeable future and Klay Thompson likely out for the remainder of the year as he rehabs from an ACL injury, Russell has suddenly become the focal point of the Warriors offense.

Golden State's season is already in dire straits, but Russell is doing everything he can to build on his All-Star campaign from last year.