Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener

1. D’Angelo Russell ties Nets’ record

The good news from Wednesday’s loss was D’Angelo Russell’s big scoring night, which tied a Nets franchise record. Russell’s 30 points are tied with Nate Archibald for the most by a Nets player in their debut in franchise history. The record has stood since 1976, so it’s safe to Russell is ready to leave a long-lasting mark on the team.

Atkinson spoke about his plan for Russell moving forward throughout the season, focusing on the team rather than his own incredible stats. In an interview with Newsday, Atkinson talked about taking his star point guard one day at a time regarding team success.

"“Be part of the group. We’re going to do this as a team, and we’re going to do it together. I think he had a pretty good preseason, he integrated well into the group. First game, young guy with a new team….There’s 82 of these, so he obviously wants to play well and we obviously want to play well, but we understand the grand scheme here.”"

Russell’s 30 points included a four 3-pointers and five assists and were a great complement to Lin’s efforts before the injury.

Next: 2017-18 Week 1 NBA Power Rankings

Russell will be looked at even more moving forward without Lin done for the year, providing him opportunities for more big offensive nights this season.