D'Angelo Russell

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D’Angelo Russell se ha perdido buena parte de la temporada 2020-21, por culpa de una lesión en su rodilla izquierda. Eso le ha impedido estar con sus compañeros desde comienzos del mes de febrero hasta comienzos del mes de abril. Un largo periodo de tiempo lejos de las canchas de la NBA, que le ha impedido regresar al equipo con fuerza, demostrando ser uno de los pilares sólidos de esta organización.

En los primeros juegos en los que ha tomado parte, desde que regresó de su lesión, ha atesorado mejores números de los que había logrado en lo que llevada de 2021. Clave fueron sus aportaciones ante los Kings, en el que fuese su regreso a las canchas, tras cerca de dos meses inactivos, para alcanzar la victoria ante los Kings, y clave su intervención en Boston, para poner contra las cuerdas a los Celtics, llevando el partido a la prórroga, como ejemplo de la importancia de su presencia en el juego de los Lobos

Nada más empezar el mes de abril, ya atesora un promedio de 22.7 puntos de media, logrando 3.3 rebotes por juego y repartiendo una media de 5.3 asistencia de promedio, en los tres primeros juegos del mes. Una números que mejoran en casi 6 puntos, un rebote y dos asistencias, lo logrado en los juegos en los que participó en febrero, y mejorando también lo cosechado en enero.

Ante los Kings no pudo tener una vuelta al trabajo, con 25 puntos, con un acierto en tiros de campo del 36.8 por ciento y superando el cincuenta por ciento de acierto en triples. Unos números, a los que logró añadir 5 rebotes y 3 asistencias, para ayudar a lograr un merecido triunfo en casa ante los Kings.

Todo ello en juego importante, que marcó una fecha clave de la temporada, ya que los fans de los Lobos, pudieron volver al Target Center en ese juego ante los Kings, precisamente. No podría haber tenido Russell mejor fecha para regresar, ni mejor escenario, realizando esa gran actuación que ayudó al triunfo por 116-106.

En los dos juegos siguientes, los Lobos no tuvieron la suerte de cara y se escaparon las victorias en Indiana y Boston, pero Russell demostró su valía y calidad, que tan importantes son para el equipo y nuestro sistema de juego… sobre todo en Boston.

Si bien ante los Pacers, terminó el juego con 24 minutos en pista, logrando estar 24 minutos en pista, que los aprovechó para anotar 17 puntos, con 5 rebotes, una acierto en tiros de campo del 33.33 por ciento y sin llegar al 30 por ciento en triples.

Algo que cambio en Boston, donde superó la veintena de puntos (25 puntos concretamente), con 4 rebotes y 8 asistencias, que le dejaron al borde el doble-doble, superando el cincuenta por ciento de acierto en tiros de campo y superando el 30 por ciento en triples.

Una actuación sublime que ayudó al equipo a forzar la prórroga. Suyo fue el triple que colocó el empate 124 final, demostrando que cuando más quema la pelota en las manos de los jugadores, el toma la responsabilidad y no le tiembla el pulso para lograr esas canastas decisivas para el equipo.

La lesión ya quedó atrás y los Lobos están de enhorabuena por la vuelta de uno de sus líderes. Y ha regresado con fuerza, para hacer más competitivos a los Lobos en el tramo final de la temporada, y de este modo, el equipo cimente un gran grupo que aspire a lograr mayores cotas de éxito en la siguiente campaña.

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Russell Ha Regresado Con Fuerza A Los Lobos

mincsharrett

While we don't know when the 2020-21 NBA season will begin, it's never too soon to begin preparations for the return of Timberwolves basketball.

Last week, D'Angelo Russell spent time in the Twin Cities to put work in at Mayo Clinic Square. Check out the mixtape from DLo's workout below. 

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WATCH: D'Angelo Russell's Summer Workout

minsflood

The Timberwolves’ most talked-about trade of the last nine months is no longer loading.

This isn’t a prank or a tweet from a fake Woj Twitter account. It’s actually happening.

On Thursday, Wolves’ President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas and his staff played chess on the final day of the February trade deadline and landed Russell in a blockbuster deal that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors earned Minnesota’s 2021 protected first-round pick and second-round pick, but to bring Russell to Minnesota without giving up either of the Wolves’ 2020 first-round picks is quite the achievement for Rosas & Co.

As exciting as the trade was, it was equally necessary. The Wolves tacked on their 35th loss of the season less than 24 hours before the trade and were in desperate need of a fresh start. And that’s coming from one of the most loyal Wiggins supporters around. Wiggins’ time with Minnesota was undeniably flawed and left a whole lot to be desired, but I will be rooting for him from afar as he too gets a fresh start.

That said, it’s time to welcome Minnesota’s newest All-Star and explore what could come in the Wolves’ next chapter with D’Lo at the reins.

The Wolves have tried out six different players at the point guard position in the 2019-20 season and based on their current offensive rating of 106.4 (23rd in the league), none have proven to be a spectacular fit. But with Russell on board, Jordan McLaughlin and Jaylen Nowell can continue to develop under less pressure while Jarrett Culver can move to shooting guard, which was his primary position at Texas Tech.

But Russell won’t only be the best point guard the Wolves have seen this season alone. At the expense of offending Ricky Rubio fans, a group I identify with, Russell represents the best point guard Karl-Anthony Towns will have played with in his five-year career. Rubio’s passing still stands alone, but his inability to shoot weighed down his overall impact on the offensive end.

In Russell, the Wolves will be gaining a point guard who can not only create for his teammates, but who can also pop a 3 or beat a defender on the drive at will.

Russell averaged a career-high 23.6 points in his 33-game stint with the Warriors while managing to still average 6.2 assists per game. He’s one of only four players to average at least 23 points and six assists while shooting at least 37 percent from 3-point range. The other three? Damian Lillard, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving. Being a part of that elite group makes Russell the second-best 3-point shooter on the Wolves’ roster, just behind Towns. He’s also a great system fit as over 50 percent of his field goal attempts per game come from 3-point range.

Getting the ball to Towns should no longer be a continuous gripe not only because of Russell’s premiere passing skills, but because of his chemistry with Towns.

Towns, of course, was the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, and Russell was there right beside him going second to the Lakers, and they’ve made their friendship well known throughout their time in the league. KAT has already proven to be one of the greatest offensive talents of our time, but just imagine what he’ll be able to do once he takes the court with an All-Star point guard who’s a dynamic scorer himself. Not to mention, the best center Russell has played with is probably … Jarrett Allen? Who knows what he has left to unveil once he’s teammates with one of the best centers in the league?

Back in 2015, imagining those two one day joining forces felt like a dream-like scenario almost too unfathomable to even fantasize about. Now it’s Minnesota’s reality. And neither Towns or Russell are 25 years old yet. Oh, man.

Russell has only been in the league for five seasons, but he’s already played for four different franchises.

In an interview with The Athletic’s Anthony Slater from earlier this season, Russell said, “I just want to be somewhere where it’s home and I can unpack my bags, but I’m so comfortable with being uncomfortable nowadays that it is what it is.”

In the meantime, as stated before, the Wolves have been desperately searching for a point guard who can not only maximize Towns’ full potential but who can come in and provide another All-Star presence.

Well, D’Lo, it looks like we’ve found a match. Unpack your bags and make yourself at home.

Russell will most-likely make his debut with the Wolves on Saturday, Feb. 8, in the Wolves’ home game against the Los Angeles Clippers scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

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Russell Finds A Home, Wolves Welcome All-Star Point Guard

Good afternoon, everyone. Checking in from the hotel room in New York. Noah (our video guru) and I just got done attending media availability for some of the top rookies in the draft.

We were able to check up with Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay. We tried to get to more, but we only had an hour, so here we are. Personally, I give both of us props for getting what we did during that hour. Some very good stuff from everyone.

Here are some observations from each guy, in order of them talking to the media. 

He’s already got the NBA fashion down. He came in rocking sweatpants, a buttoned-up shirt and a fedora. Hey, when you might go No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, you can wear whatever you want. Don’t ask questions.

Well, we did ask questions because we are media members, but you get it.

Towns had some good things to say about the Timberwolves and their future, whether it’s with or without him. Especially Andrew Wiggins.

“You know what, if you were blessed, honored and privileged to play with a talent like (Wiggins), you just think about how explosive the team really could be,” Towns said. “… You also have Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine. You’re talking about some really explosive players… That team's going to be really good.”

He also noted that the possibility of playing on the same team as Kevin Garnett, a player Towns grew up watching, would be surreal.

"Just to learn under a legend like him. To learn and see how he was able to be a legend, the work he put in. Getting his quality (advice) would be amazing to know what he has done to win a championship. That’s the biggest thing. He’s a winner. I want to be just like him in that aspect.”

Overall, Towns is a well-spoken guy. Very friendly with the media and just genuinely seems like a good dude. A good enough dude where you don’t want to make fun of him for wearing sweatpants and a fedora. 

Russell wears his swagger on his sleeve. Very calm, cool and collected with pretty much everything he does, on and off the court. We didn’t get to talk with him for long, but he had some interesting things to say about the possibility of being drafted No. 1 overall. It’s something he would love, but it’s not the only thing.

“To be in that category of all the No. 1 picks would be an honor, but it’s bigger than that to me,” Russell said. “Going to a team, if that’s the first pick or the 12th pick, I’d rather be there than be bouncing around the league in a few years.”

First off, Okafor is huge. So is Towns, but for some reason I was a bit blown away being next to Okafor. And to think he’s only 19. Oh my.

I asked Okafor what his visit with the Wolves was like and he opened up a bit.

“They’re just really excited,” Okafor said. “They’re a young team. I got to meet Kevin Garnett, who I’m a really big fan of. They’re all excited. They had a new facility… There’s a lot of excitement going around the Minnesota Timberwolves.”

“I would love to play with Andrew. He’s someone I know well.”

Fun fact: Wiggins was Okafor’s host when the big man was touring Kansas. Wiggins was playing Call of Duty when Okafor first met him.

“I would think so. They’re a young team. A lot of those guys are my age. A lot of those guy I already have prior relationships with, so I think I would.”

Underrated funny moment of the day. Someone asked Okafor how many teams have grilled him about his conditioning and defense.

“Not too many. I only met with two teams…”

And then there’s Mudiay. Mudiay also worked out with the Wolves and interestingly enough, he didn’t talk about how his workout with the team went, he talked about what he thought about the team’s front office.

“They’re real good people,” Mudiay said. “I really like Flip Saunders, Milt (Newton) and what they’re trying to do. I’m good friends with Andrew (Wiggins) and Zach LaVine. They’re a young team. They’re going to be good in the future, too.” 

Well, folks. That’s all I’ve got for today. I’ll check back in tomorrow before the draft. As always, thanks for reading. Enjoy your night.

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Ratke On The Road | Catching Up With The Top Prospects

*Disclaimer: This piece does not reflect the views of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

35 games, 33.9 MPG, 19.3 PPG, 5.0 APG, 5.7 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 44.9 FG%, 41.1 3P%, 75.6 FT%

2014-15 Consensus All-American First Team

Russell had it all going for him during a 79-60 win over Rutgers on Feb. 28. The guard had 23 points to go with 11 assists and 11 rebounds, his first and only triple-double of his college career. He shot an efficient 8-of-13 from the field and was 3-of-7 from deep and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

If you ask D’Angelo Russell why a team should draft him, well, he won’t hold back any punches.

“I’m the best player in the draft.”

Russell was great with the media members during the 2015 Draft Combine in Chicago. He didn’t take part in 5-on-5 games, but did have his measurements taken and was available to meet with teams (he did meet with the Timberwolves).

Even though he thinks he is the best player in the draft, he noted that his decision to go pro was difficult simply because of the brotherhood he built with his Ohio State teammates.

He probably made the right decision as he’ll likely be a top-5 pick.

While his talent speaks for itself, many question whether or not Russell's game will translate into a point or shooting guard at the next level.

He’s likely the best passer in the draft class (there are stories of him hitting his teammates in the head with passes they didn’t see coming in practice) and has an obvious knack for scoring the ball. But we’ve seen in the past where “tweeners” haven’t been able to find their place in the NBA. Russell doesn’t think he’ll have that problem.

“Honestly, I feel like I’m a basketball player, so if the ball’s in my hand, I guess that makes me a point guard, but if it’s not then I guess I’m a two-guard,” Russell said at the Combine.

Most experts believe Russell is more of a point guard than a shooting guard.

"He is a combo guard who is more of a point guard, in my opinion, than he is a two‑guard,” ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla said. 

Russell’s an all-around player maker with an extremely high basketball IQ (something he says is his greatest strength).

If you haven’t been able to tell yet, Russell’s confidence in his game is sky high. The kids might even call that “swagger”.

With all of the strengths Russell has, there are some concerns. While he’s silky smooth, he’s not all that explosive which leads some to wonder if he could easily be shut down by an opposing defense. Will he be able to carry an offense? That’s something we won’t know until we see him on the court with some of the NBA’s best players.

He also gets lost defensively at times. Half of that is probably concentration, which can be improved, but the other half might be his athleticism. And with so many great point guards in the NBA, Russell will be challenged night-after-night in the NBA.

“Those guys got to guard me also,” Russell said, oozing confidence.

Russell will definitely have nights where his confidence is rattled and it will be interesting to see how he bounces back from that.

He knows he isn’t perfect and there is plenty of work to do before and after he hits the NBA, wherever he goes.

“(I need to work on) everything. Every part of my game, I’m taking to another level.”

“I think D’Angelo Russell has a chance in time to be an NBA star." – ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla on the potential of D’Angelo Russell.

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2015 Draft Profile | D'Angelo Russell

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Draft Profile Gallery | D'Angelo Russell

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