Golden State Warriors: Is D’Angelo Russell Ready For Championship Pressure?
The Golden State Warriors are not in a rebuild but a season of low expectations. With Klay Thompson gone for a huge chunk of the 2019-20 season and Kevin Durant off to Brooklyn, the Warriors had to do something. Instead of grabbing Paul George, Kawhi Leonard or Jimmy Butler, they made a deal to snag PG D’Angelo Russell from the Nets. Good player, but how does he fit?
While Thompson is out, Steve Kerr will have no issues. His best bet is to play Stephen Curry at SG and let Russell man the PG position. The reason for that is, Curry would just as deadly in the Thompson role than Russell would. But what happens when Thompson returns? Where and how will Russell contribute?
It may seem easy to just say swing Thompson over to SF but that’s contingent on what the Warriors do in the paint. This will only work if they find themselves a defensive center. With Durant manning the SF position, his height, dribble penetration, and defense allowed Curry and Thompson to take gamble defensively knowing Durant and Green were backing them up. Now, with Thompson coming in at 6-7, that causes a problem.
On the offense end, the Warriors will still be lethal from the perimeter and maybe just a bit better at attacking the rim. But they will be small and more prone to foul trouble. Russell is not an all-world defender and neither is Curry. This places too much pressure on Thompson, Green and whoever has rim protection duty.
Fans can think back to winning a title with Harrison Barnes and look at Klay and think he’s an upgrade. But those teams had great defensemen in Andre Iguodala, Shawn Livingston, David West, and Andrew Bogut. All those players are now gone. Who will take up the slack? Why didn’t they resign DeMarcus Cousins or see what Dwight Howard has left in him?
For the Golden State Warriors, winning has always been on the defensive end as well. Yes, they can score. They can attack the rim as well as any team but this season, with or without Thompson, they will struggle.
Another thing to factor in is chemistry. Since coming to Golden State, the ball has always been in Curry’s hands. Can he adapt to becoming an offscreen shooter or a catch and shoot player? That’s something we haven’t seen from him yet.
While in Brooklyn, Russell became an All-Star. In Golden State, he will still get his shots up but can he play with and for a purpose? In 2018, no one picked the Brooklyn Nets to contend for a playoff spot. It was them against the world which allowed Russell to play free. Now, the spotlight is on him and the Warriors. Even without Thompson and Durant, they’re considered to be among the top 8 teams in the West. Is Russell ready for that pressure?
For Thompson, this could become an MVP type move. For Curry, this could put him in another league. No more responsibility of looking for teammates or the shot clock. Curry will have the green light every time he touches the ball. That’s scary to think about. For D’Angelo Russell, he has a chance to write his own ticket as one of the top PG’s in the NBA.
For his career, he’s averaged 5.1 assists per game. While with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was just learning the ropes and wasn’t quite ready to take that leadership role. While with the Nets, he took it on and relished in it. But the supporting cast was nowhere near as talented as what he will have in Golden State.
As Russell pushes the ball on a break, he will have Thompson on one side, Curry on the other, and Green filling the lanes. It’s safe to say a season with 10+ assists is not out of the question. As far as scoring goes, many wondered who would lose attempts when Durant came to town. In Kerr’s offense, there are enough shots to go around. Russell should flourish in this role.
Will the Warriors win a championship this season? No. As it stands, they will resemble the Houston Rockets more than the Portland Trail Blazers. A great offensive team, but the lack of defense will drive Kerr bat crazy.
If Russell attacks this season as he did in 2018 with the Brooklyn Nets, he will make another All-Star appearance.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
