D’Angelo Russell was once an All-Star for the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 21.1 PPG and 7.0 APG during his All-Star season. He hasn’t reached the All-Star game since leaving the Brooklyn Nets, and his 2020-21 season in Minnesota featured some unfortunate injuries. There’s no question that D’Angelo Russell is extremely talented though, and it’s always been this way.
Someone who believes in D’Angelo Russell is his new teammate, Patrick Beverley. Beverley believes that D’Angelo Russell has a similar skill set to James Harden and Kyrie Irving, though it is clear that he isn’t putting Russell above the two All-Stars. In the quote relayed by Dane Moore, Beverley also reveals that he challenges D’Angelo Russell to “go out there and be great”.
Patrick Beverley is a believer in D'Angelo Russell pic.twitter.com/OAmQUDij9b
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) October 5, 2021
When it became official and I came over, of course obviously I looked at the roster, and one of the first things I said was I put D-Lo with the same skill set, don’t take my words and twist them around, but the same skill set as the James Harden types. The Kyrie Irving types. A player that is God-gifted skill wise, can pass the ball, can shoot, can get to the free-throw line. A three-level scorer that can score in the post if he needs to, pass out of the post.
I just challenge him. You have that skillset. What makes you different than any one of those type of players? So I challenge you every day, don’t miss the small things, don’t miss the small hurdles. Go out there and be great. he’s been responding every day in practices and it’s not a surprise he played well yesterday.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a good potential starting lineup, and perhaps this is the year that they surprise everyone. If the Timberwolves are to make the playoffs, they need D’Angelo Russell to play at an All-Star/All-NBA level for the whole season to help them finally get there. D’Angelo Russell can obviously play at that level when fully healthy, and as Beverley mentions, he is a spectacular offensive player. There is potential for a big season from Russell.
There is no doubt that the Timberwolves are a team that could finally make the playoffs again this season. The last time they made it was in 2018 when Jimmy Butler was still on the squad. Hopefully, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards can get them to be competitive once again, and they certainly have enough offense to compete with a lot of teams.
