The Brooklyn Nets entered the 2018 season with several long-term questions to answer. None was bigger than the future of D’Angelo Russell.
Without any significant offseason acquisitions and Russell’s impending restricted free agency looming, the 22-year-old needed to elevate his play to the star-level that was expected when he was selected second-overall in 2015 if the Nets were to be successful.
In his fourth NBA season, Russell is making the jump from a good player to the star player and leader the Los Angeles Lakers believed he would never become.
Russell was somewhat forgotten around the league after his tumultuous time in Los Angeles, but Brooklyn’s dramatic turnaround has brought him back into the national spotlight.