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Brooklyn Nets: D’Angelo Russell returning to dominant form

By Ed Easton Jr.

BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 13: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots a free throw against the Toronto Raptors on March 13, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 13: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots a free throw against the Toronto Raptors on March 13, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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An injury-plagued season has hurt the once-high stock of Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell, but he’s looking to make a strong impact to finish off the year.

The 2017-18 NBA season started promising for third-year point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was looking for a fresh start with the Brooklyn Nets. He was leading the team in scoring and propelling his own status as possibly one of the game’s young, premier guards.

Russell played in 12 games to start the season with team-leading averages of 20.9 points and 5.7 assists per game. This success was very short-lived as he was sidelined due to injury after a November road matchup against the Utah Jazz. The injury was severe enough that he had to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, costing him 31 games.

The missed games weren’t the worst part of the injury, as he was forced to see his starting point guard spot taken by teammate Spencer Dinwiddie. The surprising success of Dinwiddie didn’t stop Russell from being a good teammate, continuing to show support throughout the process. It did, however, raise questions regarding his future with the organization.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson has high hopes for the young guard, even going as far to compare him in a recent interview to being potentially another version of former MVP, Steve Nash.

"“Listen, he has elite vision. Not average vision, not good vision, elite vision. He makes passes that you have to rewind it two or three times on the tape to see how did he get it without a lot of effort. Obviously a good distributor. I always tell him, ‘You’re a little too high-risk.’ If he could just get down to two or three turnovers.“It’s a mentality. He has to just understand the high-risk ones we’ve got to eliminate. Obviously he can score the ball. He’s still finding himself as a player in this league. But I love the passing part. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be around 8-10 assists every game.”"

Over the last two games, Russell has shown the offensive explosion that made him such a hot commodity in the 2015 NBA Draft. He poured in 26 points on Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, showing flashes of offensive brilliance regardless of who was guarding him. Sunday’s scoring was just a warmup for Tuesday night’s 3-point barrage against the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors.

Russell poured in 21 first quarter points and seven 3-pointers, sending the home crowd and his teammates reeling with excitement. His team-high 32 points were not enough to propel the Nets to victory, but they did continue the positive buzz surrounding Russell lately.

Nets forward DeMarre Carroll chimed in on Russell’s amazing first quarter while speaking with the media following the game.

"“He’s just getting aggressive. He’s been aggressive in taking his shots. They are open shots that are swing-swings and not those forced shots. They are not what he used to take; you can tell he’s been training and taking shots that the defense gives him, and he’s not trying to force it.”"

Next: 2018 NBA Draft - Early March Mock Draft

The Nets are racking up the losses to eventually complete the season, but are more focused on developing their young core roster. Russell will need to continue this pace in order to prove he is the top option for this team moving forward while working successfully with Dinwiddie.

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