“I was a little traumatized there”: Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell shares candid thoughts on his Los Angeles Lakers tenure

D’Angelo Russell didn’t hold back his thoughts on his time with theLos Angeles Lakers. The former No. 2 overall pick reflected on his early years with the Lakers, admitting the experience wasn’t exactly smooth. Drafted in 2015, Russell had a rocky start with the franchise before being traded just two seasons later. Now, as one of the standout stars of the Brooklyn Nets, he opened up about the ups and downs of his Lakers tenure and how it shaped his career.

D’Angelo Russell has been one of the players who has seen several locker rooms of different teams: “I’ve been on so many different teams,” the Brooklyn Nets guard shared in an exclusive chat with the HoopsHype, adding, “where the team’s not a priority.”
Russell is happy with the Nets, “To be here, the team is everything from every aspect you can think of. It’s team-oriented. As a team, we win. As a team, we lose. To be engraved into that and just fit in is a good feeling,” he shared.
Returning to Brooklyn seemingly made his goal clear. “It’s great. I would never take it for granted, coming from where I came from,” he said. But what about his previous tenure? It appears that Russell was not entirely happy with the team using his skills.
“Obviously, I was a little traumatized there. To be here and get the opportunity to just be me where there’s familiarity as well is just icing on the cake,” Russell said. The 29-year-old further shared that he is well-adjusted with the role in the Nets: “I’m at the point in my career where I’m not going out and scoring 25 points every night and wowing with numbers. It’s a point where I’m trying to gravitate towards doing it the right way, and how I can contribute to winning is my priority. He (Coach Fernandez) lets me do that. He trusts me already, so I can imagine getting to training camp for something like that and having that under my belt with the guys. I think the sky’s the limit,” he added.

Russell is still close to his long-time pal Austin Reaves. He believes that despite having star powers like LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the roster, Reaves will continue to shine with his own accolades. “His role has changed a little bit,” Russell said of Reaves following his trade. “He’s such a killer, and he’s so underrated. I don’t think that LeBron (James) or Luka (Doncic) can hinder his success or knock him off of how good he is. Kudos to him. I’m cheering for him,” he added.
Also Read: “We were not looking to trade Anthony Davis”: Los Angeles Lakers boss Jeanie Buss echoes subtle regret of letting 10x NBA All-Star go
Russell is currently averaging 10 points per game, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.