D’Angelo Russell reflected on the lack of structure in Los Angeles compared to the discipline he learned in Brooklyn. He credited the Nets for saving his career and shared how the lessons he learned there now shape his veteran mindset in Dallas.
D’Angelo Russell revisited his early NBA years with brutal honesty in a revealing appearance on The Wy Network.
The veteran guard opened up about the drastic differences between his time with the Brooklyn Nets and his two stints in Los Angeles.
“The organization of Brooklyn is different,” Russell said. “It’s unlike any other. The performance, team, coach — everything about Brooklyn is different than what you would expect. And I’ve been around the league, where I came from the Lakers, where the structure is not the same.”
Drafted No. 2 overall by the Lakers in 2015, Russell entered the league with sky-high expectations. His infamous fallout with Nick Young didn’t help matters, and his play was inconsistent at best. By 2017, the Lakers had seen enough — shipping him off to Brooklyn in what would become a career-altering move.
“Then I got to Brooklyn, where it’s all structure, and it taught me how to be a professional,” Russell continued. “I always approached the game to where I was nonchalant and I felt like I could just wing it… they taught me how to be a professional, how to sleep, how to eat, how to recover.”
Unlike many of today’s point guards, Russell has never dazzled with raw athleticism. He’s a cerebral perimeter player — relying on craft, vision, and rhythm more than vertical pop. But what Brooklyn gave him was discipline.
“That’s why I’m still playing to this day,” he said. “I’m not a guy that’s athletic, I had to take care of my body, I had to recover, I had to eat the best way. I couldn’t just show up. And that’s what Brooklyn really taught me.”
His breakout came in the 2018–19 season — his second in Brooklyn — when he made his first (and only) All-Star appearance, averaging 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists on 43.4% shooting.
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