All Star 2019

Tom Dowd

ORLANDO — With the selection of D'Angelo Russell to play in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game, the Brooklyn Nets notched another success story for the franchise's growing reputation for player development.

Over the two-plus seasons of the Sean Marks/Kenny Atkinson regime, the Nets front office has consistently identified undervalued talents, and the coaching and performance staffs have consistently helped those players blossom.

The successes have arrived from different trajectories. Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris were second-round draft picks without NBA jobs when they were signed by the Nets. Dinwiddie ended up a finalist for the NBA's Most Improved Player award in his second year with the Nets, and has been the team's second-leading scorer in his third. Harris has become one of the league's best 3-point shooters while expanding his game to break out of that "shooting specialist" box.

There are the rookie success stories of Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs, two players who crushed the expectations that came along with their draft status and ended up starting during their first seasons.

It's the kind of thing that draws attention.

"I think it's huge," said Atkinson. "It's really players talking with other players. They know we have a great player care staff with our performance team. Our coaches are excellent developing young players. Hopefully, that reverberates throughout the league. I don't think it's one person, I don't think it's Kenny Atkinson or Jacque Vaughn. It's a whole organization and me being on the same page with Sean and how huge that is and how connected we are in terms of development. The total approach to getting a player better is vital. There's a lot of cogs in the wheel to help a player improve."

Russell arrived in Brooklyn with a different history. A college All-American at Ohio State, he was drafted second overall in 2015. Marks seized the opportunity to acquire him in the days ahead of the 2017 NBA Draft.

Atkinson, who built a reputation for player development while rising the assistant coaching ranks, reached out to Russell's coach at Ohio State, Thad Matta, who told Atkinson, "he wants to be coached." Russell arrived in Brooklyn and delivered the same message.

"I don't think as a staff we've coached a guy harder than we've coached D'Angelo," said Atkinson. "We're on him. Film, he has really taken it like a man, and accepted the bad with the good. That's a real credit to his maturity. He made it a statement when he first arrived here, and I told him, 'now, let's keep going, because we're going to keep coaching you hard and I'll keep holding you responsible.' With talent comes responsibility, they say."

As a head coach, Atkinson has said he puts on his "player development hat" and gets involved in individual workouts less than he would like to. You're still likely to see the former 15-year pro working up a sweat more often than other head coaches, but for the most part he's relying on Brookyn's assistant coaches for that.

In Russell's case, that often means Jacque Vaughn, a former head coach and a 12-year NBA point guard. Atkinson credits Vaughn's work with Russell, particularly on the defensive end.

"Jacque was a heck of a defensive player, really good defensive mind," said Atkinson. "So the defense, but just overall. When you can talk every day with a guy that's played the position in the league and your conversations. Jacque works with a lot of guys; works with Caris (LeVert) very closely. We have Pablo Prigioni. We have guys that played in this league that are working with these guys every day. As I stepped into a head coach role I'm not in that role nearly as much on a day-to-day basis on the court, so it's important to have a good staff."

Offensively, of course, Russell is emerging as the elite and complete talent that many envisioned. He's elevated his game with each passing month of the season, and as he received the news of his All-Star selection, he was averaging career highs in points, assists, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage in the middle of his fourth NBA season.

"If you buy in to what we're doing and take advantage of an opportunity, there's rewards," said Atkinson. "It's great to see that he's bought into to our total program, from the basketball side to the performance side. It's great for the organization."

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D'Angelo Russell Adds to Brooklyn Nets' Player Development Success Story

ORLANDO — The moment that D'Angelo Russell and the Brooklyn Nets have been eyeing came to life on Friday afternoon, arriving miles high with Russell and the Nets on the way to Florida.

It was the culmination of torrid play over the last month in particular. With every big game, with every Nets win, the moment came closer to this reality: D'Angelo Russell is an NBA All-Star.

The NBA announced Friday that Russell had been selected to replace injured Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo. Two weeks from now, Russell is bound for Charlotte to take the court with the NBA's best in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.

"I was on a plane," said Russell. "We just traveled from San Antonio. I heard the news and then coach congratulated me, told me. He was the first one to break it to me. I was in awe on the plane. I'm a crier, honestly. I was holding my tears in."

"It gave me chills," said Atkinson about delivering the news. "I'm an emotional coach, emotional person. I didn't cry, but I got emotional. Listen, there's a lot of work put in, No. 1 by him, the work he's put in; staying here all offseason, really working his tail off. To see him be rewarded, it's a great testament to his work ethic."

The 22-year-old guard is posting career highs in points (19.6), assists (6.4), field goal percentage (.438), 3-point field goal percentage (.374) and free throw percentage (.808).

"The coaches that I've had, my teammates that I've met throughout this journey, it's something that you can't take away," said Russell. "It almost feels like a degree. You can't take that away from somebody. You get that one All-Star, two, you never know when you're going to get that opportunity again. So I'm forever blessed for that."

The 6-foot-5 guard's play has been integral to Brooklyn's 20-7 surge over the last two months as the Nets have moved from below .500 to playoff position in the Eastern Conference, currently sitting in sixth place.

"The team's been thriving, and I think recognition comes when you're winning and doing the right things," said Russell. "Coaches, the league, in general, it's what gets noticed, when you're winning around the league. I think just in general, our whole team, our whole coaching staff, performance (staff), everybody's just logged in to winning and sacrificing what they have to do to win. Individual accolades come with it, but just all in general our whole team's been getting that success."

A huge performance in January helped Russell surge into All-Star consideration. In 15 games, Russell averaged 23.8 points, 7.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 47.9 percent overall and 41.3 percent from 3-point range. With 52 3-pointers made in January he rose to ninth in the NBA with 140 total 3-pointers made.

Earlier in January, Russell earned his first career Player of the Week honor after matching his career high with 40 points -- including the go-ahead 3-pointer -- in a come-from-behind win at Orlando on Jan. 18. He also scored 34 points against Boston in the same week, posting seven assists each time.

"He's in a state of grace right now," said Atkinson. "I'm really proud of his defensive improvement. I think he's really taken steps there. Offensively, he's a talented, gifted, gifted player. The last part about it, he's done a fantastic job taking care of his body. I think he's improved athletically. His recovery practices have gotten better. He's really bought into our performance team. It's a total success story. It's a wonderful story."

Getting the news, as much as it meant to him, is of course just the start of the story. It will be an entirely different emotion when he gets to Charlotte to share that All-Star spotlight with some players who are already legendary.

"I'm going to be star struck," said Russell. "I'm not going to lie. At the end of the day, I'm 22. A lot of these guys are a little older than me, so I watched them on TV. Dreamed of playing in that game. But it's just another chapter in my book. I'm going to be star struck, in awe the whole time. I can't imagine being in an All-Star Game, knowing that you're among some of the best of the best."

Russell is the first Nets player to make the All-Star Game since Joe Johnson in 2014. He's also the second-youngest among the franchise's 15 All-Stars behind Nets legend Buck Williams, who was younger in both 1982 and 1983.

His selection is milestone personally, but also for the franchise as it continues its steady ascendance since GM Sean Marks and Atkinson took over in 2016. Russell will also have company in Charlotte -- teammates Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs, each 20 years old -- will be playing in the Rising Stars game.

"It goes back into just development," said Russell. "I could speak for myself, but just from the outside looking in, you see how many players that we have that have grown, just over the time that they've been here. The summer of hard work that they put in. For myself, I can say that I've been through so much.

"I didn't know how to be a professional. So to come around this organization, they nurtured how to be a professional. You're around it every day. There's no let-offs. Everybody's two feet in on just being in for everybody else instead of yourself. I needed that, that reassurances, and almost that humbling experience just coming to a new organization where they take pride into that. Just to get this opportunity, I'm lost for words, but I know how far I've come. That speaks for the development of the players we have here. I think that's going to go a long way in the future."

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Brooklyn Nets' D'Angelo Russell Bound for 2019 NBA All-Star Game

bkndsapp

BROOKLYN – The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell has been named a reserve for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. The All-Star Game will headline NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Currently in his fourth NBA season, Russell is a first-time All-Star and was selected by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo. He is the 15th Nets player to earn an All-Star selection and the first since Joe Johnson was named an Eastern Conference reserve in 2014. The 22-year-old is the second-youngest Nets player to be named an All-Star behind Buck Williams, who was younger when he was selected in both 1982 and 1983.

In 52 games (all starts) for Brooklyn this season, Russell is averaging a career-high 19.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, a career-high 6.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 29.6 minutes per contest. The Louisville, Ky., native leads the Nets in points per game, assists per game, starts and 3-pointers made (140) and has already tied his single-season career high with five double-doubles this season. He currently ranks ninth in the NBA and third in the Eastern Conference in 3-pointers made and 12th in the NBA and fifth in the East in assists per game.

Russell has recorded nine 30-point games this season after posting seven such games in his first three seasons combined. He has also registered three games with 30 or more points, seven or more assists and no turnovers this season, which is the most such games in a season in NBA history (since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78). On Jan. 21, Russell earned his first-career NBA Player of the Week honor after averaging 28.0 points (.532 FG, .531 3FG), 3.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 32.7 minutes per contest while leading the Nets to a 3-0 week. In the month of January, Russell recorded averages of 23.8 points (.479 FG, .413 3FG), 3.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.6 minutes per game and guided the Nets to an 11-4 record, which matched the second-best record in the East in 2019 and a franchise record for wins in the month of January.

The team rosters for the 68th NBA All-Star Game will be revealed on TNT in a special NBA All-Star Draft Show on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. ET.

All Star 2019

D'Angelo Russell Adds to Brooklyn Nets' Player Development Success Story

Brooklyn Nets' D'Angelo Russell Bound for 2019 NBA All-Star Game

Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell Named 2019 NBA All-Star