3 ripple effects for Golden State Warriors from Stephen Curry injury

2. D’Angelo Russell must shake off slow start

The Golden State Warriors acquired D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets. While Russell will not make the fan base forget about KD, at least they were able to get something in return.

Unfortunately, their investment hadn’t provided a great return through four games. Sure, D-Lo was averaging a 16.5 points per contest, which by the way, is a higher scoring output than he posted during his first three seasons in the league.

In his first game as the floor leader, Russell scored a season-high 30 points with eight assists Friday against the San Antonio Spurs.

But when you take a closer look at the numbers, you may not like what you see. For starters, Russell is shooting just 38.6 percent from the field, the lowest conversion rate of his career.

Secondly, following a 2018-19 campaign that saw him knock down 36.9 percent of his looks from 3, Russell’s efficiency has dipped to 31.4 through the first five games of the season. Furthermore, of the 119 minutes he’s been on the court, the Warriors have been outscored by an 80-point margin — the worst plus-minus rating in the league, per NBA.com.

It is also worth mentioning that the All-Star point guard has yet to register a steal this season and just got his first block on Friday. Despite the slow start, don’t expect the team to entertain any thoughts of trading Russell, especially after the two sides agreed on a four-year deal worth $117.3 million.

With Curry out the lineup indefinitely, Russell will need to step up if the Warriors have any hopes of remaining competitive.