Let’s play a game: solely based on the table below, what player would you like to have on your favorite team?
| PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| Player 1 | 13.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 41.0 | 35.1 | 73.7 |
| Player 2 | 21.1 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 43.4 | 36.9 | 78.0 |
Unless your favorite team boasts multiple All-Stars, your answer was likely “Player 2,” which is completely logical.
The good news is that you don’t have to choose between the two if you’re a Warriors’ fan, because “Player 1” is D’Angelo Russell from his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and “Player 2” is D’Angelo Russell from last season with the Brooklyn Nets. Russell being traded to the Warriors for Kevin Durant and a conditional first round pick was certainly a surprise, but so was Russell Westbrook being traded to the Houston Rockets, Paul George being traded to the Clippers, and the Knicks using their cap space for 18 power forwards.
Okay, that last one really isn’t a surprise, but you get the point.
Now that the dust has settled a bit in free agency, we can take a look at one of those moves in depth: the NBA’s runners-up signing Klay Thompson to a max extension and then signing another player at the same position* to another max contract.
So, the question still remains: does D’Angelo Russell fit on the Warriors?
The short answer is yes… and no.
By The Numbers
Based on the numbers in the table, D’Angelo Russell would’ve ranked fourth in PPG, tied-seventh in RPG, and first in APG on the Warriors last season. His shooting percentages would’ve ranked last (FG%), seventh (3P%), and ninth (FT%) as well.
To put those numbers in perspective, Thompson was 12th in FG% and eighth in rebounds on the Warriors’ last season. Statistically speaking, Quinn Cook was a better 3PT-shooter than Thompson.
It should go without saying, but stats don’t always tell the whole story. What basic stats like PPG, RPG, APG and shooting percentages do give us is a baseline to evaluate a player’s impact; especially when evaluating their fit on a new team.
In Russell’s case, it’s very helpful.
Evaluating Russell’s Game and Fit
Golden State “lost” Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and (temporarily) faced the task of replacing his 26.0 PPG from last season and the 25.8 they could rely on night in and night out the past three seasons. Then, they traded for a 23-year-old guard coming off an All-Star appearance and his first taste of the postseason.
Now, trying to compare D’Angelo Russell and Klay Thompson is silly. They’re completely different players. It’d be a disservice to either to say they’re as different as apples and oranges (although I ‘ve never understood that saying, as they’re both fruit and both warm-colored), but they’re not mirror images of one another.
On offense, Thompson thrives off of off-ball movement, as little dribbling as possible, and a quick release. On defense, he normally takes on the opponent’s best player, doesn’t complain, and is always ready to run in transition.
For Russell, on offense, he thrives off of driving towards the basket off of screens, having the ball in his hands, and creating for his teammates. On defense, he can hold his own, but you don’t want him on an opponent’s best player every night.
Russell and Thompson aren’t polar opposites, but the reason they’re being compared so closely is that it’s widely assumed that Russell will take Thompson’s starting spot as the two-guard next to Steph Curry. That is, at least until Thompson returns from an ACL tear or they trade Russell. Russell has played 90% of his minutes as a PG, but he’s not starting over Curry, and he’s 6’5” – a more prototypical size for a SG anyway.
Put differently, Russell will be starting a considerable amount of games next season for Golden State. They’ve already lost seven players from last season’s roster.
So, where does that leave Russell?
D’Angelo Russell knows how to score. The biggest knock against his game has been his efficiency and deservedly so. He’s never had a FG% above 44% and shoots 41.9% for his career.
Russell has also never played with a talent like Steph Curry. No, the husk of Kobe Bryant doesn’t count.
Curry alone has the gravitational pull of a black hole on offense, which will open up the lane considerably for Russell to drive or kick-out. Draymond Green is still on the roster, and despite his so-so 3PT shooting, he’s still one of the game’s best facilitators and defenders.
The Warriors may have lost Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, and Kevin Durant this offseason, but they did a nice job of replacing some of those players’ impact with the signings of Willie Cauley-Stein, Glenn Robinson III, and Alec Burks, the re-signing of Kevon Looney, and the drafting of Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole.
Golden State’s roster is going to look a lot different next season with free agency still not over and a few potential notable free agents still out there. However, it could be a blessing in disguise for Russell.
Russell is entering a new environment, with a new system, a new coaching and training staff, and new teammates. The Warriors still have Curry, Thompson, and Green as a big three. And, for the first time in a while, expectations are lowered for them. Russell can’t exactly take his time getting adjusted, but he can rest knowing he’s developing chemistry with players he’s never played with before.
Playing with the best shooter in NBA history certainly helps, but Russell landed in a favorable situation, whether it’s for the short-term or long.
Concerns
D’Angelo Russell is a great NBA player and will likely hover around his career numbers with (hopefully) increased shooting percentages across the board.
That doesn’t mean he will.
Russell can heat up in a hurry, and when he does, it feels like he doesn’t miss. Unfortunately for both teams that Russell has been on so far in his young career, when he starts to heat up, he can get tunnel vision and forget about his teammates.
Russell attempted 18.7 field goals per game last season, roughly six more than the next closest player on the Nets (Spencer Dinwiddie). That was more out of necessity based on Brooklyn’s roster, especially when Caris LeVert went down with a gruesome leg injury that sidelined him for an extended period of time. Hopefully, on the Warriors, no one else goes down and Thompson has a swift recovery. For now, D’Angelo Russell will be tasked with being the second option in the Warriors offense. Draymond will be able to offset the likely decrease in assists from Russell, but that may not be enough.
Opponents know they have to account for Steph at all times whenever he’s on the floor, no matter the personnel out there with him. Obviously, having Thompson, Durant, and Green out there made things easier for Curry. But, Green has never been the best shot-creator, and Thompson and the headaches he creates for opposing defenses are unavailable for the start of the season. Regardless of who starts between Looney and Cauley-Stein, both are more lob-threats than ball-handlers, leaving offensive relief duties to Russell and whoever mans the SF.
My money is on Alfonzo McKinnie, but he’s better as a spot-up shooter.
So we’re back to Russell.
Whoever the starters are, they’ll have to concede touches to him out of necessity. That could create some issues on offense.
When Russell starts to hit a few shots, especially when his team is down, he has a tendency to continue to try to drive and shoot, and not take note of his surroundings. Steve Kerr will look to iron out some of those bad habits, but at the end of the day, if Russell has the ball in his hands, there’s only so much Kerr can do.
The Bottom Line
D’Angelo Russell is a premier talent and will score double-digits every night next season like he has since coming into the league. He’ll likely hit a few clutch shots and use his signature “ice in his veins” celebration. He’ll also likely take a few forced shots that may lose the Warriors a few games. Russell is what he is: a scorer who can handle the ball, and when focused, can involve his teammates well.
The hope (apparently) is that he flourishes in Golden State and that they can trade him for something of value – cheap young players and draft picks. To a degree, it makes sense, and Russell has acknowledged the rumors himself, but that doesn’t make it easier for a player knowing he may have to relocate for the fourth time in almost as many years.
D’Angelo Russell was a solid addition for the Warriors considering the circumstances, but those same circumstances could be the reason next season doesn’t go according to plan.