Just like the fans wanted him to, Rob Pelinka made a major shakeup in the Lakers roster before the February deadline. One of his first moves in that process was sending D’Angelo Russell to the Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. While everyone is aware of how productive the trade has been for the Lakers, D’Lo is also having a great time after reuniting with the Brooklyn franchise. That’s because he is finally getting to be himself, which might not have been the case in LA!

During an interview with HoopsHype, Russell revealed what returning to Brooklyn has meant to him, “It’s great. I would never take it for granted, coming from where I came from. 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.” Yes, the veteran guard shockingly confessed that he was “traumatized” during his Lakers tenure, maybe because of the constant spotlight and pressure of winning the championship.

Although D’Lo had a solid run in LA, even reaching the West Finals once, he was constantly put under the microscope by the fans and media after every bad performance. Moreover, his future was never completely secure as there was always the risk of getting traded. Fortunately, the spotlight is not as bright with the Nets, and Russell feels far more comfortable playing for them, “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.”

Since the trade, Russell’s averages have increased to 13.8 points and nearly six assists. So, its evident that he is in a much better place mentally with the Nets than he was in LA. Obviously, head coach Jordi Fernandez has played a huge part in making that happen, as D’Lo revealed, “He 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.” But his praise for Jordi begs the question—Was it not the same with JJ Redick?

D’Angelo Russell reveals Relationship with JJ Redick while addressing difference between Jordi Fernandez and his Former Coaches

Well, Russell did not get much time playing under JJ. But their brief stint together was enough for them to build a good relationship, “With JJ, I had a solid relationship with him on the way out.” However, it looks like such personal bonds with coaches are an anomaly for D’Lo, as he revealed while describing his current relationship with Jordi, “I just appreciate it more than anything because I’ve come from places where I don’t have that relationship. I’ve kind of just had success off of just showing up and no relationship.”

Moreover, he addressed the stark difference he feels playing under Fernandez than most of his former coaches, “I told Jordi today for him to trust me and allow me to be a basketball player and not just a shot maker. If my shots aren’t falling, he still trusts me to be out there to make plays. I respect that more than anything.” D’Lo was highly appreciative of Fernandez for not typecasting him as solely a shot maker, which was the case in his former teams, but allowing him to be an overall basketball player.

What’s also noteworthy is that Brooklyn has always been the place where he has played his best basketball. During his previous stint with the team, he made his maiden All-Star appearance, averaging 21.1 points and seven assists.

Turns out, there is a big reason behind D’Lo finding success with the Nets, “Team. I’ve been on so many different teams where the team’s not a priority. 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.”

Its great to see that D’Lo has finally found a place where he is comfortable and hopefully, he will find a permanent home in Brooklyn and turn into a franchise legend someday. After all, he is only 29 years old and still has a lot of good years left ahead of him.