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Brooklyn Nets: 5 goals for D’Angelo Russell in 2017-18

By Gavriel Wilkins

BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 5: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball during the game against the Miami Heat during a preseason game on October 5, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 5: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball during the game against the Miami Heat during a preseason game on October 5, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images /

4. Improve on defense

Russell may possess the ability to outsmart defenses, but he is not known for being much of a threat on that side of the floor, where he typically tends to struggle quite often.

Last season, Russell finished in the bottom half among guards in defensive rating, allowing opponents to score 113.4 points per 100 possessions against him.

While this could be due to the result of Russell watching the ball quite often and playing on a Lakers team that finished last in the same department for the past two seasons, the third-year guard has failed to show an understanding of when to properly rotate, fight over screens and communicate with his teammates for help on the back end since coming into the league.

As a result, many around the league question his willingness to play on this side of the floor, and believe that his defensive struggles go far beyond poor coaching.

Should Russell find a way to improve on defense, then he would be helping the Nets improve in a major area of concern, and show Brooklyn that he is more than just an offensive threat come 2018.

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