Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell is preparing to return to play on Friday night in the place where he had his only All-Star campaign to date.
Timberwolves’ D’Angelo Russell set to face former team in Brooklyn Nets
Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell dropped a team-high 35 points and eight assists in a thrilling 121-120 overtime win at Philadelphia last week. He hit multiple clutch shots, plus a steal and assist that led to Taurean Prince’s game-winning layup in the final seconds.
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The Ohio State product was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 2 overall pick in 2015 before being traded to Brooklyn for Brook Lopez and a pick in 2017.
Russell earned his first and only All-Star appearance in 2019 as he recorded several 40-point performances, including 44 points (27 in the fourth quarter) in a comeback victory over the Kings. He led the team to a 42-40 record, securing Brooklyn’s first playoff berth since 2015.
“It’s an amazing feeling. We have a great group of guys, a great coaching staff. It’s the best group to do this with since it’s a lot of our first time. It’s going to be a blast,” Russell explained in the postgame interview after the Nets clinched a playoff spot. “We knew what it was going to take. We knew how we wanted to come together and do it as a group. The result is what we deserved. Guys put in the work this summer and this is the result.”
Russell was instrumental in turning around the organization alongside Kenny Atkinson and Sean Marks before ultimately being dealt to the Golden State Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade that saw Kevin Durant move to Brooklyn.
Russell was traded from Golden State to Minnesota midway through that next season, and while he’s been up and down since being acquired by the Timberwolves but tends to get hot against his former franchise. Russell has averaged 21.7 points and 4.2 rebounds on a scorching 47.8 percent from 3-point range in six games versus the Nets.
Despite a six-game losing streak in November, Minnesota sits at 11-11 and are currently tied for the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference with the matchup looming against the East’s top seed on Friday. Brooklyn currently has a 15-6 record.
Russell will look to rebound from a poor shooting night (3-for-18 from the field and 1-for-12 from 3-point range) as he takes on the familiar franchise at the Barclays Center.