Getty D'Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert during the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
Despite a disappointing end to a season that Brooklyn Nets fans were hoping to cap off with the franchise’s first-ever NBA Title, there is a silver lining to that dark cloud. Considering where the Nets have come from, the future looks to be as bright as it ever has been in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn era of Nets Basketball started with a bang as the team looked to be in contention for a title sooner rather than later. The Nets front office pulled off a blockbuster trade that sent what at the time was a historical haul of picks to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, their big risk did not pay off as they never even made it to the conference finals.
Even worse for Brooklyn was that despite their string of losing seasons, the Nets did not have a lottery pick because they gave so many of their first-round picks to the Celtics in the trade for Garnett and Pierce. After seasons of losing and a dim-looking future, things began to look up for Brooklyn in 2017 when former number two overall pick D’Angelo Russell was traded to the Nets from the Los Angeles Lakers.
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D’Angelo Russell Has Harsh Words for Byron Scott
Russell’s arrival in Brooklyn was a breath of fresh air for both him and the Nets. For the Nets they acquired their best player since making the trade for Pierce and KG as ‘D-Lo’ was coming off a season where he averaged a career-high in points (15.6), rebounds (3.0), and assists (4.8). For Russell, he got to move on from a toxic relationship with the Lakers. Particularly with his former head coach Byron Scott. Former Lakers’ assistant Jim Eyen details why it went bad in his new book “Built to Lose: How the NBA’s Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.”
“I think Byron coached D’Angelo from the heart. He did what he thought the best thing for D’Angelo was. It would have been easier had he just taken the path of least resistance, but he didn’t. It’s a lot more difficult to try to do it, what you feel is the right way, and discipline when you need to disciple. Pat him on the butt, give him accolades when he deserves it and just do what you need to do for not only the team, but for the long term of the player,” Eyen writes in a transcript obtained from Lakers Daily.
“Russell, frankly, disagrees. Scott didn’t handle sophomore forward Julius Randle with the same kids’ gloves. ‘He’s an idiot,’ Russell says of his coach.”
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Russell Felt Scott Was ‘Malicious’
Like any rookie, Russell had his growing pains when he first came into the league, especially with him being a one-and-done college athlete. With ‘D-Lo’ being the first guard taken in the lottery by the Lakers since they selected Eddie Jones 10th overall in 1994, big expectations were resting upon his shoulders.
“Russell felt Scott often yanked him from close contests purely to spark controversy and attention for his postgame media availability. ‘I just think he was malicious for no reason,’ Russell says. ‘He’s a solid man. But as a coach, he was bad. He was just bad at his job,’” Eyen writes.
Russell Helped Form Nets ‘Big 3’
With Russell at the helm, the Nets found themselves back in contention in the Eastern Conference. ‘D-Lo’ was named an All-Star for the only time in his career in 2019 and the Nets were back in the postseason for the first time in five seasons.
Despite being bounced in the playoffs in the first round that year The D’Angelo Russell tree did not stop bearing fruit there. When it came time for 2019 free agency the Nets were in a position to sign the All-Star point guard to a max deal, but instead were able to complete a sign and trade to land two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and eventually form a big three with Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
Despite only playing two seasons in Brooklyn, the impact of Russell’s time with the Nets is still being felt.
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