5 Minnesota Timberwolves players who are having career years

2. D’Angelo Russell

I’m sure by now we all know the story of how the front office pursued D’Angelo Russell since this summer and eventually strung together a deal to pair him with his good pal, Karl-Anthony Towns.

What was seemingly a pipe-dream last season is now a reality in Minnesota. We know Russell was good before coming to Minnesota, but how much better has he gotten since his arrival?

While his scoring has taken a slight step back from where it was in Golden State (23.6 PPG), he still is averaging 21.7 points per game, which is higher than his All-Star season in Brooklyn. The dip in scoring is likely attributed to his new backcourt counterpart, Malik Beasley, taking some of the scoring load off of him.

Now, it would be unfair to say that Russell is undoubtedly playing his best basketball since coming to Minnesota. Still, there is an argument to be made that what we have seen in his first 12 games is the best play of his career.

For the Wolves, he has averaged 6.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. These numbers are second, first, and tied for first when compared to the per-game statistics of each season of his career.

These numbers have come with only one game playing next to Towns, who likely will open the door even more for Russell. When play resumes, whether that be this season or next, we should expect Russell’s number to continue to rise as he gains comfortability with those around him.