D'Angelo Russell on Return to Lakers: 'I'm a Grown Man Now, I'm Not a Child'
Things will be different this time around for D'Angelo Russell on the Los Angeles Lakers because, as he tells it, he is far more experienced than when he entered the NBA.
"I'm a grown man now. I'm not a child," Russell told reporters Friday. "I'm just excited to showcase it."
Los Angeles selected the Ohio State product with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft after he played collegiately for a single season. They traded him to the Brooklyn Nets after just two seasons in which he was a solid but unspectacular contributor, averaging 14.3 points and 4.0 assists per game.
The Lakers brought him back last week as part of the deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz and Mike Conley to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Russell has played for the Nets, Golden State Warriors and Timberwolves since his first stint with the Purple and Gold and seems eager to help the franchise that drafted him make a late playoff charge.
Los Angeles is two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference standings. Russell figures to fit in alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis because of his three-point shooting (39 percent this season).
That, along with his additional experience, could lead to better results in his second tenure with the team.
