D'Angelo Russell on Success: 'I Figured out How to Be a F--King Professional'

D'Angelo Russell's journey from No. 2 overall pick to All-Star was rocky, featuring a falling out with teammates in Los Angeles before a move to Brooklyn saved his career. 

Russell credits transforming his mindset for the growth. 

"I figured out how to be a f--king professional," Russell said, per Ben Stinar of The Big Lead. "Be all about my body, be all about my diet, be all about my recovery."

Russell made the 2019 All-Star team with the Nets, averaging 21.1 points, 7.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds while leading Brooklyn to the No. 6 seed in the East. He left for Golden State via a sign-and-trade that brought Kevin Durant to Brooklyn in July before being shipped off again to Minnesota at the deadline. Though few deny his talent, Russell is on his fourth team in five NBA seasons—a rarity for someone with his skill set.

"Now I get to take all of that that I learned in Brooklyn and all of that from Golden State and now I get to just lay it all out in Minnesota, so I think we're going to make it home. It's going to be special," Russell said.

Russell will get to team with close friend Karl-Anthony Towns with the Timberwolves, a move they hope will calm what looked like an impending storm over the center's displeasure with the franchise. Towns and Russell got to play only 12 games together before the coronavirus halted the NBA season, and Minnesota is not part of the league's plan to take 22 teams to Orlando.

"I feel sorry for dudes that he's going to be matched up against," Russell said. "He's coming with a complete different killer [attitude] about him. His approach is completely different. I recognize it with just being around him. I live with the dude. I moved to Minnesota I've been living with him for three months."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported there have been discussions about teams left out of the season's resumption being allowed to hold camps over the summer with their players. If those camps are not allowed, teams will likely go nine months (March-December) without playing together.

With any luck, this summer could be the first time since the beginning of his rookie year that Russell has been allowed to plant roots and really grow in one place.