D'Angelo Russell's former teammate Jared Dudley gave him a sound endorsement, despite having spent only a short time with him during his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets. The now-Los Angeles Lakers forward noted the new Golden State Warriors addition will be a sponge, hoping to soak up knowledge from the small core of veterans left on the roster.
Dudley spoke at length about his experience with the lefty point guard with Ethan Strauss of The Athletic, stressing Russell's willingness to learn from others:
“I just came in to help us teach if he wanted to learn,” said Dudley. “I credit him for being a young guy who wanted to listen, who took information very well and responded and even asked questions. So I think that’s one thing that is going to be surprising to Draymond (Green) and guys at Golden State. This is a guy who wants to learn, wants to get better and wants to be coached.”
So what kind of questions was he asking? Dudley didn't mind indulging:
“Why was he turning the ball over in certain situations? Because he had a turnover problem early in the year. Defensively, with stuff that he could do to maneuver when he thought guys maybe we’re scoring a little too much. Contracts, you know, how to get paid. Perceptions and life. We talked a lot about basketball, but you know, we’re with these guys more than our families are so we talk about, you know, wives, girlfriends and finances. So you could tell he just was trying to soak up knowledge.”
Russell was able to shed the narrative of being an immature player who had yet to realize his potential and make himself an All-Star, still with a bright future ahead of him with the Warriors at only 23 years old.
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