How D’Angelo Russell Fits Within The Golden State System

For the first time in four years, the Golden State Warriors will enter the campaign as underdogs to win the championship. After losing the 2019 NBA Finals to Toronto, Kevin Durant joined Brooklyn and will spend a season rehabbing his Achilles before chasing a championship with new teammate Kyrie Irving. During Game 6 against the Raptors, Klay Thompson landed awkwardly on a fastbreak layup attempt, tearing his ACL and leaving his status uncertain for the entire upcoming season.

The Warriors were able to marginally re-tool by turning Durant’s departure into a sign-and-trade with the Nets, receiving 2019 All-Star D’Angelo Russell, along with Shabazz Napier and Treveon Graham. Golden State also sent a protected 2020 first-round pick to Brooklyn as part of the deal, while Napier and Graham were flipped to Minnesota for cap purposes.

Of course, Russell is coming off his best season as a professional, having just led a feisty Brooklyn squad to the postseason with a barrage of pull-up three-pointers and nifty passing. He spent the season as the lead ball-handler for the Nets and was often asked to create shots for himself and others during his time on the court.

Now the young showstopper will need to coexist with Stephen Curry, a future Hall of Famer that happens to be a decent lead ball-handler in his own right. How head coach Steve Kerr fosters this relationship — and how Russell performs in the role — will be a major factor in the Warriors’ positioning come playoff time in the Western Conference. While it could take some patience, there is some reason for optimism in the Bay Area.

Since Kerr took over coaching duties in the 2014-15 season, the Warriors have been a bastion of ball movement. They led the NBA last season in both assists per game and assist percentage. Brooklyn, meanwhile, finished 21st and 18th in those respective categories.

When looking at just Russell, he was assisted on only 29 percent of his total shots, and just 53 percent of his three-pointers, putting him in the 91st and 96th percentile of those categories, per cleaningtheglass.com. Russell was liable to pull up from deep at any moment last season, one of the best among non-James Harden players at canning triples off the bounce.

Needless to say, Russell will not carry the same creative burden in Golden State. The gravity Curry creates, combined with the team affinity for passing, will lead to a plethora of catch-and-shoot opportunities — a skill in which the Ohio State product has shown proficiency on.

Per NBA.com, Russell hit a touch over 39 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts last season.  For comparison, Klay Thompson shot just over 40 percent on these attempts.

This is not to say Russell can stand in as a Thompson replica — that’s an impossible task. Thompson had almost double the volume on those attempts, while his lightning-quick release allows him to shoot in tight spaces and when coming off screens. The majority of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers came from a standstill position as teammates found him with the extra pass. What Russell can do is provide the spacing necessary for Curry to operate, plus drill open looks when given the opportunity.

While Russell cannot perfectly emulate one of the best shooters ever, the Warriors could utilize him in ways they weren’t able to with Thompson.

Russell’s largely-successful stint as the creative orchestrator in Brooklyn will afford him plenty of chances to run the show this season as well. Even better, Russell may find it easier to create with a two-time MVP attracting multiple sets of eyes out at the three-point arc. Unsurprisingly, Curry shot a blistering 44.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes, so Russell should see a less-crowded paint when he penetrates toward another patented floater.

Additionally, there’s the interesting wrinkle of using Curry as a screener with Russell running the pick and roll. Curry is a great screener for a guard and the Warriors have thrived with him off-ball, a decision that often leads to — you guessed it — freer looks around the three-point line. In the past, Golden State opted for Curry setting on-ball screens, mostly with Durant as the ball-handler. Those scenarios watch Curry slip the screens and dart to the three-point line, always leaving defenses in scramble mode.

Russell could slot into this role now, offering the ball-handling ability and pull up threat that Durant possessed. Last season, the Warriors scored 1.40 points per possession when Curry was the screener in a pick and roll, per NBA.com. They only had 0.6 of these possessions per game, but that is an elite number, and something they could look to for a basket in a close game.  Kenny Atkinson, the Nets’ head coach, typically paired Russell with Spencer Dinwiddie and the fluid, intentionally confusing movement helped Brooklyn surprise the league over and over again.

It’s easy to picture Curry playing the role of Dinwiddie here, setting a screen for Russell to start the action, then relocating to the three-point line as Russell goes into a 1-5 pick and roll.

The Warriors are not only getting someone who could complement their stars, but also a player that could lead the offense when Curry is resting.  This is where Russell’s experience from this last season in Brooklyn will be most useful.

In 2018-19, the Warriors had a paltry 100.6 offensive rating with both Curry and Durant off the court, per cleaningtheglass.com. The backup point guard position was usually manned by Quinn Cook or Shaun Livingston. Both were serviceable, but not without their limitations. Cook operated as more of a floor spacer and was not asked to create for teammates, while the savvy Livingston moved the ball but mostly looked to score in the post. Russell will provide the combination of shooting and point guard skills to control the floor and bend defenses.

Per NBA.com, the Warriors ran the fewest pick and rolls in the league last season.  With Russell now in the fold, they could add some of that to their playbook for a little more offensive diversity. Russell showed a keen ability to manipulate a pick and roll last season and these clips show the type of playmaking he could bring to his new team.

Presumably, Kerr will want one of Curry or Russell on the court at all times, especially until Thompson returns. It’s also possible that Curry is asked to spend some time with the bench, with Russell and the remaining starters playing while the superstar rests. Either way, the staggering of their minutes will be an important puzzle for Kerr to solve this offseason.

There are still areas of concern for the Russell addition. While all signs point to easy offensive assimilation, it is not a foregone conclusion that Russell can slide into the role of secondary playmaker and floor spacer after a full, All-Star-worthy year as the lead dog. That said, Kerr has dealt with multiple stars every year and always passed with flying colors — on top of that, Curry is as selfless as they come. What might become a major concern for other teams may not even register as a speed bump for this Warriors franchise.

Still, there is also the other half of the game and Russell will not be able to replace what Thompson brought defensively. Although Draymond Green is a master at covering for teammates mistakes, a Curry-Russell backcourt could be problematic on that end. Even the impenetrable Green will struggle to plug every gap for this year’s iteration of the Warriors.

Notably, Russell did do a good job last season of not fouling, finishing in the 91st percentile in this category per cleaningtheglass.com. A 6-foot-10 wingspan allows him to contest well and swipe the ball from unsuspecting opponents.

If he can improve his off-ball instincts under the tutelage of the Golden State’ staff, and exert a little more energy on that end, he could mitigate some of those defensive concerns.

All in all, the positives easily outweigh any concerns here. Russell will bring extra playmaking to the Warriors that was sorely needed with the Durant departure, and he can also slide in next to Curry rather seamlessly.

There will be work to do for Kerr and his coaching tree, but his track record signifies that this could be a mutually beneficial relationship.  If Russell keeps evolving at his newest hurdle — and the Warriors have a healthy Klay Thompson come playoff time — the fight for supremacy in the conference could be hotter than ever.