Star point guard D’Angelo Russell is now on his fourth team in seven years. After failed stints in L.A., Brooklyn, and Golden State, he joined a Minnesota team on the rise and hasn’t looked back.
Alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and young stud Anthony Edwards, D’Lo is really thriving with the Timberwolves and has the team in a good position to enter the 2022-23 campaign.
In fact, as he told the media this week, the Wolves aren’t a team that anybody wants to face in the playoffs.
D’Angelo Russell Talks About His Expectations For Minnesota Ahead Of New Season
While Minnesota got bounced early in the playoffs last campaign, Russell feels good about where his team stands at training camp.
(via SiriusXM NBA Radio):
“Last year we were a young team and being young was our excuse why we didn’t win games,” Russell said. “Those were young excuses. This year I think that goes out the window. We can’t use being young as an excuse. We got some veterans on our team now, some older guys, and I think that’s gonna propel our group. Going through what we went through, I think that’s what teams go through and they make a big leap the next year.”
For D’Angelo, the biggest difference between then and now is simply the level of respect and recognition they’ll receive from their opponents.
“People wanna watch you play but they don’t wanna play against you… we’re exciting on tv. We were that team, so I think that prepares us for this year coming up. We’re the team that everybody is talking about, I don’t think anybody wants to match up against us. We have the personnel to match up with anybody, so that’s a good problem to have as a coach.”
"I don't think anybody wants to match up against us"
D'Angelo Russell believes the sky is the limit for the 2022-23 Wolves@Grady| @sarahkustok| @Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/Pt3iUuFYgX
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 30, 2022
The Timberwolves haven’t been much of a threat since the KG era, but they have built a really solid foundation here with Russell, Towns, and Edwards.
If they can keep those guys together, and successfully help develop their game, it could go a long way in moving Minnesota back up the NBA food chain.
For now, though, they still have to prove that they can hang with the best. And as big as D’Lo is talking now, things could change on a dime if they get off to a slow start.
Needless to say, the world will be watching this team closely as they battle to be taken seriously in the West.
