D’Angelo Russell Criticizes Lakers

D’Angelo Russell isn’t holding back about his time with the Lakers, making it clear he’s much happier with his current freedom on the Brooklyn Nets.

The guard put up an impressive 23 points and 10 assists against the Knicks on Tuesday night. Though the Nets fell short 99-95, Russell used the moment to take a subtle dig at his former team.

“I’ll never take being able to play free basketball like this for granted again,” Russell told reporters after the game.

It’s been a bumpy road for the former No. 2 overall pick. The Lakers have traded him away twice now, and he’s clearly got some feelings about it.

Russell praised the Nets’ approach, highlighting how their performance team keeps players fresh and ready for heavy minutes. He seems particularly grateful for how Brooklyn’s staff puts him “in the best positions” to succeed.

The contrast with his Lakers experience couldn’t be clearer.

His second stint in LA was especially rough. After joining from Minnesota in February 2023, Russell started as the team’s point guard but quickly lost his spot following a tough playoff run. Things only got worse from there.

He butted heads with then-coach Darvin Ham, openly complaining about how he was being used. Even a fresh start under new coach JJ Redick this season didn’t help. Despite Redick challenging Russell to have a “career year,” he lost his starting job just twelve games in.

Pretty soon, he was barely getting playing time, watching from the bench as guys like Max Christie, Cam Reddish, and Gabe Vincent took his minutes. The writing was on the wall.

It’s quite a journey from being the Lakers’ prized No. 2 pick in 2015 to getting traded away twice by the same team. But from the sound of it, Russell’s finally found what he’s looking for in Brooklyn.