Minnesota Timberwolves 2020-21 season grades: D’Angelo Russell
The Minnesota Timberwolves had to figure out a way to handle several injuries this season, one of which was D’Angelo Russell, who was acquired through a trade with the Golden State Warriors before the trade deadline in 2020.
D’Angelo Russell had an up-and-down season when he was actually playing minutes. Over the course of the beginning part of the season, he essentially failed to be able to affect winning at a high level. Russell was able to put up stats in December/January, but his underperformance (particularly in the fourth quarter of a lot of games) was a large part of the reason the Wolves struggled.
Minnesota Timberwolves season grades: D’Angelo Russell
D’Angelo Russell averaged 19 points, three rebounds, and six assists this past season on shooting splits of 43/39/77 – the best 3-point shooting mark of his career. In terms of on/off, Russell was a negative-3.0, which, put simply, is not good enough to be the second-best player on an NBA franchise.
That’s not to say that Russell didn’t have his moments this season. Since returning from injury, he was largely improved, running the offense efficiently – particularly alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. In the 25 games together, the Timberwolves have a winning record (13-12), and Russell’s statistics are improved in the games alongside Towns.
Additionally, the two-man lineup between Anthony Edwards and Russell has been improved since he returned from injury, as well – although ideally Edwards gets more touches in games where he starts hot.
The pick-and-roll combination between Towns and Russell is elite, and towards the end of the season – Gersson Rosas’s vision seemed pretty clear. A future 3-man game between Russell, Edwards, and KAT is going to be lethal going forward, and it is exciting to think about the progression between the three moving forward.
D’Angelo Russell season grade: C
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While D’Angelo Russell did not have the best start to the season, his performance following his injury saved this grade. Russell only played in 42 games this past season, with the Timberwolves earning a record of 16-26 in those games. Russell will have to continue to display that he can affect winning at a high level if the Timberwolves are serious about making a playoff push in 2021-22.