Who is the pass-first Timberwolves point guard? D’Angelo Russell
By Brennan Sims
Learning how to call the shots
I’d argue Russell had his best floor-general last year (yes, even better than his lone All-Star year in Brooklyn). While he had a higher assists percentage (AST%) in 2018-19, he turned the ball over less posting an 11.9 TO% in 2021-22 compared to 12.4% in 18-19, per Cleaning The Glass.
Russell’s usage rate dropped and the turnovers followed. How it should be right? You would imagine so, but that’s not always the case.
Russell was tasked with setting the table for shooting guard Anthony Edwards and center Karl Anthony-Towns. He was more-or-less the star of the team during that 2018-19 Brooklyn year (explains his higher usage rate); he didn’t have to balance his scoring in addition to getting star players more shots than he got himself.
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This isn’t a seamless transition. Especially for a player that was the first option and an All-Star elsewhere. Some scoring guards lack the innate ability to balance passing and shooting. Russell has always shown traits elite floor-generals possess. Knowing time and score and playing the situation accordingly. Making the right play. Dlo’s consistent growth is essential to the Timberwolves’ playoff chances this year.
He could grow in this area even more by dialing into the passing realm more. Stay aggressive and always be a threat on the floor — but Dlo thinking pass-first when conducting the offense is good basketball for this roster. He’s a scoring threat that will always draw attention, keep using that to your advantage.