Minnesota Timberwolves: The evolution of D’Angelo Russell

Minnesota Timberwolves: The evolution of D’Angelo Russell – The jounrey

Russell’s 18.5 points per game this season is actually higher than the 17.8 he’s averaged over the course of his career. During the last 10 games? That number has shrunk to 14.5. Conversely, the 8.2 assists averaged during that 10-game span is miles ahead of the 5.6 he has averaged throughout his career. He’s been able to find different ways to get his, while his teammates have thrived around because of his playmaking.

The young guard is still only 26, and his career thus far has been tumultuous. Amazingly, he has never spent more than two seasons with one team (this is currently his third in Minnesota).

It is hard to find consistency, get comfortable, and know your place in an organization if that continues to happen. Imagine in the space of five years going from in the shadow of Kobe, to being the star in Brooklyn, and back to the darkness behind Steph.

That’s not the case anymore, as Russell defers to Towns when necessary and has a newfound slowness to his game when he is on the ball which is hugely encouraging. Less is it being forced and rushed, and instead, it is about getting Towns going or knowing when to feed Anthony or one of the handfuls of competent role players.

This stage in D’Angelo Russell’s development was a long time coming and would have arrived sooner if he had settled somewhere. Alongside the other two stars on this Timberwolves roster, he has found his home and his groove. The scary thing for the league is that they might just be getting started, and they already look pretty good.