In the 2015 draft, the Lakers' management disagreed on how to use the draft picks. Some people think that the Lakers should get Okafor, the strong inside player, while others think that the Lakers should get Russell, who has good shooting ability.
After a heated discussion, Magic Johnson withstood a lot of pressure and used the precious No. 2 pick in his hand to select the future superstar in his mind? Russell.
From the outside, there is nothing special about this little-known young man. With a height of 1.96 meters, a wingspan of 2.08 meters and a weight of 90 kilograms, this kind of physical fitness can be seen everywhere on the streets of the United States. In the trial training, his advancement speed was not fast, his lateral speed was slow, and his offensive methods were single. Apart from his good shooting ability, he seemed to have no other surprises.
For this reason, many fans feel sorry for the Lakers. It is not worth it to only exchange for a role player whose upper limit is only a sixth man after a year of failure. However, general manager Johnson disagreed. His intuition told him: This young man will likely become the next superstar!
Amidst all the doubts, Russell started his NBA journey in the high-profile Los Angeles.
On January 8, 2016, Russell played 29 minutes in a game against the Sacramento Kings, making 11 of 16 shots, including 3 of 7 three-pointers, and scored 27 points very efficiently 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
On March 2, 2016, Russell played 35 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets, shooting 14 of 21 from the field, including 8 of 12 three-pointers, and scored 39 points and 6 goals. Rebounds and 3 assists. This game not only allowed him to set a career record for points scored in a single game, three-point field goals made, and a rookie scoring record in Lakers history since the 1963-64 season.
On April 9, 2016, Russell played 32 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans, shooting 9 of 16, including 3 of 6 three-pointers, and scored 2 32 points. Rebounds and 2 assists.
In his rookie season, Russell played 80 regular season games for the Lakers, including 48 starts. In 28.2 minutes per game, Russell averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
The personal data is not amazing, but it is still good. Although the Lakers to which he belongs once again missed the playoffs, the reason for the poor record is not his fault alone. Thinking of this, the Lakers' management decided to give him another chance to prove himself.
On November 16, 2016, Russell scored 32 points and 8 rebounds in a home game against the Nets. In the first half, he made 5 of 6 three-pointers, tying his career. Career record for most three-pointers made in a half.
On March 20, 2017, Russell played 41 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers, shooting 14 of 22, scoring 40 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists, becoming a Lakers regular. The youngest player to score more than 40 points in a single game.
On April 3, 2017, Russell played 36 minutes against the Grizzlies, shooting 9 of 17 and scoring 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, including 6 three-pointers. He made 3 field goals, and the total number of three-pointers made in the season reached 131, setting a new career record for three-pointers made in a single season.
This year, Russell's personal data still has not improved much. In an average of 28.7 minutes per game, Russell scored 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. It is worth mentioning that Towns, who was in the same class as him, scored 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.26 blocks. Porzingis scored 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.95 blocks.
After two consecutive years of stagnancy, not only did his own fans have doubts about his ability, but even Johnson, who originally appointed him, began to wonder if he had been blinded by something. Not wanting to make progress? That's it. The key is that Russell also had irreconcilable conflicts with teammate Nick Young off the court, and the Lakers' locker room was in turmoil because of his immature behavior. I'll do whatever it takes to get the right player. DeAngelo is a great player with All-Star talent and we appreciate his contribution, but what I need is a leader. Johnson
In the summer of 2017, the Lakers announced that they had officially given up on Russell and sent him to the Brooklyn Nets along with Mozgov.
There is no one left here, there is a place for him. Russell, who was abandoned by the Lakers, did not show any sadness and his personal emotions were extremely calm.
In fact, for Russell, being abandoned by the Lakers is not a bad thing. Because the Lakers had too many young players at the time, he simply didn't have enough room to grow. In his new club, Brooklyn, Russell has enough firing rights and enjoys star-like treatment.
On October 19, 2017, Russell played 30 minutes against the Pacers, shooting 12 of 22, scoring 30 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, completing his Nets debut.
On November 1, 2017, Russell played 28 minutes against the Suns, shooting 11 of 21, scoring 33 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
As of November 12, 2017, Russell averaged 27.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
I thought that Russell could let himself go in the new environment, but injuries came to him silently. On November 13, 2017, Russell injured his knee during the game and left the field directly. That evening, the Nets officially announced that Russell had undergone knee patella ligament repair surgery and would be out indefinitely.
After Russell was injured, Dinwiddie was unable to support himself, and the Nets' record continued to decline. Although Russell returned after only three months of rest, his Nets almost lost the qualification to advance to the playoffs, and the coaching staff is also preparing to implement a plan to train rookies. As a result, Russell turned on the "paddling" mode in the following time to accumulate strength for the next season.
In the 2018-19 season, Russell had the strongest year of his career.
On November 1, 2018, Russell played 28 minutes against the Suns, shooting 11 of 21, scoring 33 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
On November 26, 2018, Russell played 35 minutes against the 76ers, shooting 16 of 28 and scoring 38 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
On January 7, 2019, Russell played 33 minutes against the Bulls, shooting 10 of 19 from the field, including 6 of 14 three-pointers, and scored 28 points, 4 rebounds and 5 times. Assists and 1 steal. Including this game, Russell has scored at least 20 points in the past 4 games, tying his career record for the number of consecutive 20-point games.
On January 19, 2019, Russell played 33 minutes against the Magic, shooting 16 of 25 from the field, including 8 of 12 three-pointers, scoring 40 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal. . According to statistics, Russell scored 19 consecutive points in this game, becoming the player with the most consecutive points in the league.
On the night of February 12, 2019, Russell shed tears of excitement when he learned from his coach that he had been selected for the All-Star Game. Although his tear count was high, he still cried like a child that night.
On March 20, 2019, Russell led the Nets to Sacramento to challenge the Kings.
I thought it would be a close match because the lineups of both sides were at the same level. But unexpectedly, not long after the game started, Fox led the Kings to perform a wave of exquisite offensive and defensive transitions, and the unprepared Nets were unable to resist. At the end of the first quarter, the Kings led the Nets by nearly 20 points.
Although, under the leadership of Russell, the Nets gradually regained their proper form in the second quarter and began to score frequently. But the Kings playing at home seem to have certain attribute blessings. Whenever Russell scores a goal, someone from the opposite Kings will always step forward. By the end of the third quarter, the Nets were still 20 points behind the Kings.
There is only one quarter left before the end of the game, and the score gap between the two sides is still huge. According to common sense, the Nets can replace the main lineup early and no longer make unnecessary resistance. However, the persistent Russell told the coach that he would play the entire game.
Never giving up until the last moment, the determined Russell took up the team's offensive banner and led the Nets to launch a crazy counterattack. At 9 minutes and 04 seconds, Russell, who was holding the ball, chose a post-up single at 45 degrees on the left side. He first used his shoulder to push his opponent into the penalty area. When he squeezed into a deep enough position, Russell suddenly turned back and threw the ball, and the basketball hit the net.
Looking back, he relied on his keen intuition to cut off the opponent's pass, and then quickly advanced through the half court, ignoring the two defenses, and used the European step to get a layup. At 8 minutes and 01 seconds, Russell quickly advanced after receiving a pass from his teammate. After seeing that the opponent had already established a defensive position, Russell did not hesitate at all and shot directly from outside the three-point line. The basketball was like a cruise missile. , hit the basket! At 7 minutes and 25 seconds, through active off-ball movement, Russell got a three-point shot opportunity at 45 on the left, and his teammates also delivered the ball to him in time. In this flash of lightning, Russell jumped, turned, aimed, shot, and hit!
At this time, Russell gritted his teeth, his eyes were cold, his right hand pointed at the pulse of his left arm, and he kept chanting: "I have cold blood flowing in my veins!" ? At 4 minutes and 10 seconds, Russell, who was holding the ball, waved to Dudley near half court, and the latter came to pick and roll with understanding. Just when Dudley was in position, Russell suddenly broke through from his left side and went straight to the basket, causing the opponent's center to step out to help defend. At this moment, Russell faked a pass shot, used the fake move to get past the defender, and succeeded in a left-hand layup. With Russell's success this time, the huge score gap has been narrowed to 8 points. At 3 minutes and 22 seconds, Russell used the cover of his teammates to run into the open space, and his teammates delivered the ball to him in time. After receiving the ball, Russell didn't hesitate at all and went straight to the penalty area. Against the defense of the two men, he slanted his body and sent the ball into the basket again.
Looking back, Russell hit two consecutive three-pointers against the defense! There were two minutes left before the end of the game, and the Nets, led by Russell, reduced the score to only two points.
However, after 30 seconds, Russell used his unique rhythm to continuously change directions, so that the defender did not dare to move rashly. At the moment when the defender started to compress the defense, Russell used a big bow to completely pass the former, and then directly hit the basket and succeeded.
In the end, the Nets reversed the Kings 123-121 on the road. In this campaign, Russell played 38 minutes and played bravely. He made 17 of 33 field goals and scored 44 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals. It is worth mentioning that Russell made 10 of 15 shots and 4 of 7 three-pointers in the final quarter. He scored 27 points, 4 assists and 2 steals in a single quarter.
After 82 regular season games, Russell averaged 30.2 minutes per game, averaging 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.23 steals per game. In addition to the significant improvement in personal data, his team also achieved a record of 42 wins and 40 losses, and entered the playoffs again after four years. Although the Nets had a poor playoff record and were easily eliminated 4-1 by the powerful 76ers in the first round, Russell's personal performance was impeccable.
This summer, Russell's transfer has also attracted widespread attention. Many teams want to get this rising star. It is worth mentioning that the Lakers who originally abandoned him are also among them. I wonder how Russell felt when he got an olive branch from the Lakers again? If he could sum up his thoughts at that time in one sentence, it would be: I used to be cruelly abandoned by you, but now I am beyond your reach. ?
After careful consideration, Russell joined the Golden State Warriors with a four-year, $117 million contract.
Now, the new season has begun, and Russell led the remaining Warriors to blow the offensive horn. Although they no longer have the strength to compete for the championship, they will not become a puddle of mud.
Don’t bully young people into poverty!
Warriors, come on! Russell, come on!