Getty D'Angelo Russell & Warriors head coach Steve Kerr
It was just a few months ago that the Golden State Warriors backed up the Brink’s truck into D’Angelo Russell’s driveway after striking a sign-and-trade deal for him with the Brooklyn Nets this past offseason.
D-Lo appeared to be a peculiar fit from the jump, and in many eyes seemed more like a puzzle piece signing, one that would eventually reap a return for players that would better suit a fully healthy Warriors roster, rather than a cornerstone of the team’s future.
Despite the glaring misfit between team and player, Golden State continued to portray Russell as a mainstay through much of the early season, with reports even coming out that the Warriors were looking forward to seeing a Russell-Steph Curry duo.
As we all now know, that sentiment couldn’t have been anything further from the truth following the trade deadline in which we saw Russell get shipped off to Minnesota in exchange for Andrew Wiggins.
Steve Kerr Questioned Russell’s Fit With the Warriors From the Start
With Russell no longer in the Northern California region, his former head coach Steve Kerr finally gave us a hint of the truth detailing Russell’s placement on the roster, essentially letting the world know that they were right to question the initial deal to bring D-Lo to Golden State.
“To be perfectly blunt, the fit was questionable when we signed him,” said Kerr, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “When you already have Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) and you add a ball-dominant guard, you can rightfully question the fit. That was one of the reasons the trade rumors started before the season even began, and I think D’Angelo understood that when he signed the contract.”
Kerr Believes Andrew Wiggins is Just What the Warriors Need
While it’s clear the fit between D-Lo and the Warriors was essentially doomed from the start, Kerr sees better team chemistry on the horizon with the player they got in return for Russell, forward Andrew Wiggins.
“It’s a much better positional fit when Steph and Klay come back,” Kerr stated during an interview with 95.7 The Game. “Positionally he fits a spot that we don’t have anymore, you think about what we’ve lost over the last year — Andre (Iguodala), Shaun Livingston, Kevin Durant. We’ve basically lost all of our wings and wings are impossible to find these days. He fits the profile…Obviously we’ve got to do a good job now of teaching him what we expect and what we like and he’s got to do a good job of fitting in with the group.
Kerr then added “I do think we’re confident here that we’ve got an environment that is conducive to players getting the most out of their ability.”
While Wiggins may never live up to the superstar billing that was placed upon him coming out of college, he’s enjoyed arguably his best NBA campaign to date this season. Wiggins’ 22.4 points per game average this year rank second-most in the 24-year old’s pro career, while his 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists are both career highs.
If at the very least Wiggins can serve as a Harrison Barnes-Esque/quality third-option to a healthy Klay and Steph, then the Warriors have struck gold.