:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55911085/usa_today_10126101.0.jpg)
D’Angelo Russell has yet to play a single minute for the Brooklyn Nets, in limbo between ending his Los Angeles Lakers career and shifting his base of operations to New York.
Russell sat down for an insightful 30-minute interview with Adrian Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod, discussing just about everything related to his transition from being the future of the Lakers to the new prized rookie on the Nets.
D’Angelo’s gotten a taste of what life will be like in a new organization, which he feels is going to be a change of pace for his career.
“Way different,” Russell said of the way the Nets handle their players. “The freedom, whatever it may be, I just think in LA it's not like college. The way that Brooklyn kind of runs things is more college-y, and you have a schedule laid out every day, every time, and you know what it is.
“LA is kinda like that but it's way different. I don't want to downgrade any organization or anything but it's just completely different,” Russell said.
When asked if he thinks the additional structure will help him, Russell’s clearly looking forward to a new routine.
“Obviously. I think, especially when you're a young player and you have that structure, you definitely thrive in that. It's what you come from. You come from high school with structure, you come from college with structure, then you got to the NBA and you've got no structure. It's different,” Russell said.
That lack of structure and looming uncertainty is something Russell felt once the Lakers overhauled their front office.
“I didn't have a clear picture. They didn't draft me so it's all different, and you see just around the league when specific GMs don’t draft you they're ready to get rid of you or use you as a tool. I really didn't know.
“I had a relationship before Magic was the GM with them, and obviously that changes, but I never knew. I was going in every day just trying to be tunnel vision with it and just work hard, and whatever they decided to do with me was whatever,” Russell said.
With a new vision, structure and opportunity in front of them, it certainly feels like both the Lakers and Russell are ready for what awaits them in the future.