It was July 2019 when D’Angelo Russel joined hands with the Golden State Warriors. Although his stint there was brief, he was quickly traded off to the Timberwolves in 2020. The Warriors really were excited to sign up Russel in a sign-and-trade deal for 4 years, with a contract worth $117.3 million, but soon after, the charm wore off. Just 7 months after he joined the team, the Warriors were eager to give up on him, considering it all to be the “worst contract” in the league’s history at the time.

Russell’s contributions weren’t impactful. In fact, he didn’t fit in well with Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry at the time. And it’s not like Russell was excited about this short visit to the Bay Area too. He wasn’t. He reflects on his past on the Run Your Race podcast, making shocking revelations. “Bro, the worst thing that I could’ve done was play for the Warriors.”

Well, yes! He said it.

To be honest, in the 33 games he’s played for the Warriors, he averaged 23.6 points. That doesn’t call for a major regret, right? But D’Lo still feels that way. “To see how Steph Curry prepares. Are you kidding me, bro?”

So, is Curry the reason he could not stay in the Warriors?

Over the years, Stephen Curry has mesmerized fans with his insane shooting ability. It doesn’t matter where he is on the court, if the ball is in Steph’s hands, it has a high chance of going through the net. While those shots seem miraculous at times, there’s a lot of preparation that goes into it. And D’Angelo Russell has seen the Baby-Faced Assassin’s contagious habit. Apparently, Curry putting his heart and soul into preparing each and everything for consistency in his games was rather too much for Russell.

But everyone who’s followed Curry’s journey knows that there is a method to Steph’s madness: “His practices, like he practices every shot, like off the ball, right hand, behind the back. Like you warming up, he’s practicing half-court shots.”

No wonder Steph’s teammates are so confident in passing him the ball and letting him shoot from anywhere on the court. “Alright, so when he gets into the half court, 0.3 seconds and he is asking for it, he makes it. It’s like, it’s no surprise”, Russell added.

Moreover, the Lakers guard regrets playing for the Warriors likely because Steph’s habit of constantly practicing insane in-game shots sparked a vast change in his mindset, “Seeing his prep made me really wanna be like alright, I can shoot from anywhere.”

But not everyone can shoot like Stephen Curry.

D’Angelo learned a lot from Stephen Curry

Although the “shoot from anywhere” approach might not have worked as well for Russell as it does for Steph, it surely boosted his confidence for the future. Even when D’Lo had just joined the Warriors back in 2019, he revealed that he was soaking in all the knowledge from the veteran guard.

“I’m doing a lot of spectating. I’m just seeing what I can learn from him from a distance. Then, I can come up with the correct questions and the correct demeanor on what I’m trying to learn versus nagging him about stuff.”

More importantly, even Steph was impressed by D’Lo’s hunger to get better. “He plays at his own pace and is willing to learn. He’s hungry to make that next step in his career.”

While the two guards weren’t teammates for very long because Russell moved to Minnesota mid-season, he never lost the confidence that he gained by playing alongside Steph. Even now, as Russell wears the purple and gold, he has no hesitation pulling up from deep, regardless of the consequences. Although he claimed that Steph’s habit made him regret joining the Warriors, D’Lo’s game has definitely matured because of their time together. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.