D’Angelo Russell was one of the most exciting young point guards in the NBA a few seasons ago. He was the primary option for a Brooklyn Nets team that made the playoffs but then traded him to the Golden State Warriors for Kevin Durant in a sign-and-trade. He was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins.
The former All-Star was expected to be a dynamic point guard that can score and create for the weapons on the roster. As the Wolves have added better players over this summer, Russell seems to have taken a massive step back in the final year of his contract. He’s been struggling this season, and his struggles are becoming evident on the court, as was seen when an error by him made his team defend a possession 4-on-5.
DLo stays on the sideline while the Timberwolves play 4v5 😅 pic.twitter.com/FlrGzxfE7E
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 10, 2022
Why was Russell waiting by the sideline as the play took place on the court? No idea. It surely wasn’t to trick the Suns into turning the ball over, as we have seen players like Jose Alvarado do. This is another lowlight in a bad season for D’Lo, who’s averaging 13.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.0 rebounds, on 37.9% efficiency.
Do The Timberwolves Need To Move On From D’Angelo Russell?
The Minnesota Timberwolves took a massive risk when they traded for Rudy Gobert, as this gave the team 4 high-quality players that can lead them to the playoffs consistently. Now, Gobert has looked lackluster and Russell has looked objectively bad. This is one of the coldest starts to a season by the point guard, and it’s coming in a contract year.
The Wolves could move Russell’s massive contract and get another player of high value to ensure this season doesn’t become ugly for them in the postseason. There are teams that can use what Russell brings, even if they’ll have to accept the fact that he is an inconsistent player.
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