Don’t blink, D’Angelo Russell is statistically on track to be an NBA great

Three seasons into the NBA, this may come as a surprise, but D’Angelo Russell has started his career off at the same pace as some of the greatest players of all time.

There was immaturity in Los Angeles not just with D’Angelo Russell, but with everyone on the Los Angeles Lakers during his tenure. He got dealt a raw deal leading to a poor reputation that has unfairly stuck with him throughout his young career.

When the Brooklyn Nets traded for Russell this past offseason, the move came as a huge surprise. Word on the street was the Lakers were ready to move on from the former second overall pick, but no one can say they predicted he would end up in Brooklyn.

Ending up there was just about the best possible scenario for the 22-year-old point guard. With no blue-chip prospects on the roster and no former All-Stars, he had the room to grow into his own man. He went from being a key piece of the future in Los Angeles, to being the entire future of the Nets.

Even though he missed 34 games due to injury, Russell still averaged 15.5 points and a career-high 5.2 assists per game this year. To put that into perspective, he only played 25.7 minutes per game, so his per 36 minutes averages were an astounding 21.7 points and 7.3 assists.

Taking a look at the third season per 36 minute averages of several NBA Hall-of-Famers tells the whole story of just how impressive Russell’s stats are. In his third NBA season, former Nets legend Jason Kidd averaged 11 points and 9.1 assists per 36 minutes. Arguably the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson, averaged 17.4 points and 9.0 assists per 36 minutes in his third year. Russell is several steps ahead of both of them, and only trails two of the greatest passing point guards of all time by roughly two assists per 36 minutes.

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Taking a look at current NBA superstars show an even closer resemblance, starting with Russell Westbrook. During his third season, his per 36 minute averages of 22.7 points and 8.5 assists are extremely similar; D’Angelo only trails him by 1 point and 1.4 assists per 36.

In fact, the best player comparison can be seen in Damian Lillard‘s game, who just was announced as a First Team All-NBA player. Lillard averaged 21.2 points and 6.2 assists per 36 minutes in his third season. D-Loading actually beats him comfortably in both categories.

Taking an in-depth look into the extremely young, 22-year-old point guard’s stats would be a silencer to all of his critics. Yes, the off-court maturity issues may have been real at one point, but let’s not forget he was 20 years old living in L.A. Another issue with the rep he got in Los Angeles is the team he played for was a mess. He was not the only one in that locker room who was young and immature, but he became the scapegoat.

He still has a long way to go if he wants to be mentioned among the great players that his stats compare to, and it’s worth noting that per 36 minutes numbers don’t always translate evenly. Fortunately, he got traded to an organization desperate for a star, and with the right people to surround him. He was a class-act teammate all season, and could be seen actively cheering on his teammates from the bench during his time being injured.

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There will be ups and downs, and he’s only 22 years old. Russell will not even enter his prime for another 3-4 years, and he is already putting up stats that compare well to some of the game’s greats. Don’t blink, because the next time you look up, he will be an NBA All-Star.