D’Angelo Russell has had two stints in Los Angeles as a member of the Lakers. Both times, things didn’t quite go as he planned.
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Russell is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks, signing a two-year deal with the Mavs during the summer. He left the Brooklyn Nets, which was his second stint with that franchise, but Russell had nothing but praise for the Nets while throwing a little shade at the Lakers.
“The organization of Brooklyn is different,” Russell said. “It’s unlike any other. The performance, team, and 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.
“[When] 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 in a nonchalant way, 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.
“That’s why I’m still playing to this day,” Russell said. “I’m not an athletic guy, 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.”
Russell learned how to be a professional in Brooklyn with the Nets. This, the Mavericks will thank the Nets for, as they look to utilize Russell’s talent and professionalism to win an NBA championship.
