Brooklyn Nets: 2018-19 player grades for D’Angelo Russell
By Nick Crain
Weaknesses
D’Angelo Russell had a nearly flawless season. Outside of having somewhat of a disappointing scoring performance in the playoffs, Russell was a great all-around player. With expectations of increasing his scoring load in the playoffs as Brooklyn’s best player, he actually averaged 1.7 points per game less than he did in the regular season.
Russell also turned the ball over 3.1 times per game. Although he does handle the ball more than anybody on the team, that is certainly something he can work on. He led the team in turnovers and can work on decision-making this summer.
Lastly, for being a good 3-point shooter, Russell is still not a great free throw shooter among his guard peers. For his career, he is only a 76.2 percent shooter from the charity stripe, and he shot 78.0 percent in 2018-19.
Defensively, like the majority of young guards in the NBA, Russell needs some work. I wouldn’t say he is a bad defender, but with his size and athleticism, he could make his game more well-rounded by improving on that side of the court.
Overall, there were many more strengths than weaknesses in Russell’s game in the 2018-19 season. Russell will spend time this summer improving on these weaknesses and will look to come back as an even more complete player next season.