Brooklyn Nets: D’Angelo Russell setting himself up to get paid

With career-best marks across the board, D’Angelo Russell’s play has him in line to get paid this summer, whether from the Brooklyn Nets or another team.

D’Angelo Russell has always been a mysterious puzzle not many have been able to figure out over the course of his career.

Talent was never the issue. Drafted second overall in 2015 by the Los Angeles Lakers, he flashed brilliance at times, with numbers similar to some of the game’s best. It was always everything else that plagued Russell, and it’s what had him shipped east to the Brooklyn Nets about a year and a half ago.

Last season, his first in Brooklyn, it looked as though the former Ohio State Buckeye was finally in the midst of putting it all together, averaging 20.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds a night over the first 12 games, but knee surgery and the subsequent rehab and recovery zapped whatever momentum DLo had previously established, even upon returning in January.

Now entering the final year of his contract, Russell is doing everything in his power to assert himself among the top floor generals in the game, averaging career-best marks in points, assists and 3-point percentage.

On Tuesday night, the former Laker would continue his stellar play by sticking it to his former team with 22 points and a career-high 13 assists, including the game-sealing 3-pointer over the man whose draft rights L.A. traded for, Kyle Kuzma.

Despite his inconsistent play at times, there was a reason Russell was considered one of the best players in his draft class.

He’s got size for a point guard at 6’5”, with wiry handles that help him get to just about any spot on the court he wants. While the assist numbers aren’t top-level, D’Angelo is a great passer born with terrific vision.

On top of it all, Russell has never proven scared of the moment. You can constantly see him doing some of his best work against the NBA’s elite — as he showed against Los Angeles — and when it comes time to close a game, he’s fearless with the rock in his hands.

While plenty of teams already possess a top-flight ball-handler, today’s league suggests it’s better to have multiple such players on the court at all times in order to maximize offensive efficiency.

The Nets recently gave guard Spencer Dinwiddie a three-year extension worth roughly $34 million, so it’s unclear whether or not they’d also be willing to commit long-term to their other floor general, especially given their overlapping skill-set in needing the ball to be at their best. But that doesn’t mean Russell won’t have his share of suitors come the summer time.

At just 22 years old, there is still much for D’Angelo to learn both on and off the court, but each of his four seasons in the league has shown steady improvement as an NBA floor general, reading the defense and acting on what they’re giving.

Maybe he can become one of the best and maybe not. The truth is, though, if he keeps up this level of play on the court, there will be plenty of front offices willing to give Russell a lucrative contract to come bring that same ice-in-his-veins mentality to their organizations.