D'Angelo Russell unplugged: On no longer being 'held back,' his ...

LOS ANGELES — The bag was quite the symbolic accessory.

D’Angelo Russell, this 27-year-old basketball vagabond who has played for five teams in his eight seasons, knows the feeling of packing up all too well. From the Los Angeles Lakers to Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Lakers again, his talent would tantalize and his feet would never quite get a chance to settle.

But on Saturday night, when his aggressive scoring set such a pivotal tone in the Lakers’ 127-97 blowout over the Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, Russell showed off his array of skills that today’s youngsters would refer to as his “bag.”

Those three early 3s that put the Warriors on their heels. A running layup that put the Lakers up 11-4 during his one-man run fewer than four minutes in. That spinning midrange look. Two more 3s, followed by a layup on the break. And then, after his 21-point, five-assist, plus-14 outing was over and the Lakers had a 2-1 series lead, it was only fitting that Russell wore an actual bag on his hip. Yet, of all the dimes he handed out, it was the one that came after the game that spoke volumes about where he is right now.

It has been three years and three months since the Warriors landed Andrew Wiggins by way of the three-team deal that sent Russell to Minnesota, yet there’s no resentment from the way his Golden State chapter ended. The Warriors were the ones who gave Russell a four-year, $117 million deal in the Kevin Durant sign-and-trade with Brooklyn, back when their then-dormant dynasty was navigating the trickiest of transition periods. And as Russell sees it, he’s better off for those 33 games he spent with those Warriors in the 2019-20 campaign.

“I learned so much from those guys,” Russell told The Athletic. “Brushing shoulders with Steph, seeing how he operates, how he moved, how he talked. Draymond (Green), seeing the way he can play defense. What everybody (there) does is special, and I got to cross paths with it. I got to see all that, and I put it all in my bag and took it with me, you know what I mean?”

With that, he looked down at his actual bag and smiled. He was very proud of the way his turn of phrase had all come together.

“So I’m a sponge, man. I take advantage of that s—.”

But speaking of bags, Russell — who was sent to the Lakers from Minnesota as part of the three-team Russell Westbrook trade in early February — is playing some of the most meaningful basketball of his career at the perfect time. Free agency is less than two months away, and every one of these Lakers performances makes it clearer that he’s a necessary part of their upgraded program.

Russell’s Game 3 outing, when LeBron James didn’t even take a shot until four minutes into the second quarter, was the latest evidence of his case for another big deal. Even with his bouts with inconsistency, he adds much-needed offensive support on this team that has a 38-year-old legend in James and a Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde scorer in Anthony Davis.

As Russell sees it, the Lakers move was a basketball blessing of the highest order. He was playing along with those Timberwolves, trying to find his rhythm while knowing full well that Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns were above him on the organizational pecking order. It’s a far cry from this Lakers situation, where he’s free in ways that he hasn’t felt in years. Up until this summer, of course, when he fully expects to get paid.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

So after that situation in Minnesota, where it seemed like you knew you’d be on the move and it wasn’t a long-term path, how much are you enjoying this?

How much am I enjoying this? I felt like I was held back there, honestly. I just kind of had to be the third option. Some nights, I was a little more aggressive and was kind of being held back. So to be in a position now where I can kind of thrive and be aggressive and it gets guys going, and where the team reflects off of anybody with that type of energy, it’s fun.

You knew you might be on the move at that time, right?

I felt they couldn’t pay me, so I kind of expected it. I felt like I was gonna outplay my (Timberwolves) offer, whatever they wanted to offer me, and then I’d be in a position where I’d have to make a decision. And I just kind of held my cards tight and let the basketball Gods take over.

Did you actually ask out in Minnesota?

No, I never asked out. Never. I just felt that (I wanted out) in my gut. I never spoke on it. I never showed that; I just felt it. That’s all.

So I was in Denver when your Timberwolves were there in mid-January, and I actually watched a scrimmage after shootaround where you were running with the guys who weren’t getting much playing time. I always wondered why you were playing in that game, since you were playing big minutes. What am I missing there?

Oh, you saw that? Yeah, so I would play in that because I felt that my confidence was being taken away with the style that I was playing in. I’m a killer, man. I’m a bird that needs to fly, and I couldn’t really fly there. They put me in a box that I was successful in … but I did that for confidence. I enjoy just playing, and I would play some of my best games in that (run), because I didn’t really have a rhythm (in the real games). I had to kind of cater to guys. And respectfully, I was with it because we were winning. But I know what type of player I am.

I remember that (Edwards) was sitting courtside, and he was watching the whole scene unfold and you were joking with him about how you wanted his support. You were going back and forth with Bryn Forbes in that game. You obviously wanted to make your mark when you were there though, right?

I’m selfless, bro. And I think it’s contagious when you have some of your best players who are selfless first, and it trickles down. Every team I go to, I try to be the guy who’s cheering. I try to be the guy who’s helping guys up. I try to give more (high) fives than anybody, because I know it’s contagious.

I know it’s down the road, but how do you see free agency? I assume you want to stay here?

I would love to stay here, but I would have loved to be in Minnesota too. So wherever my feet are, that’s where I’m gonna be.

Well to me, as I’m watching this game tonight, I’m thinking there’s a pretty good role for you here. 

They’ve got a decision to make, don’t they? So we’ll see.

(Photo of D’Angelo Russell: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)