In five years, the Golden State Warriors could be known as D’Angelo Russell’s team, and that may be exactly what Bob Myers wants.
The Golden State Warriors may not like the thought of their dynasty ending, but no good thing lasts forever. This team won’t have the primed Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in five years. What do they do then?
Well, they hand the keys to D’Angelo Russell. That’s exactly what they do, and if this fit works, it seems like the ideal move for the team’s long-term future. Russell should continue to develop while in Golden State, potentially becoming a top-five point guard.
Regardless of if he develops that far, Russell’s good enough to at least keep the Dubs relevant. That’s important. Look at Brooklyn. They were relevant, made moves to get better and then were able to attract big-time stars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
The Warriors, who weren’t thought of as a big-market team a few years ago, have moved back into San Francisco. With Oakland and San Jose still in the area, the Dubs have a huge trio of cities for both business and pleasure.
This team, as long as they’re competent, won’t have a problem attracting free agents. However, as we saw with the New York Knicks, no franchise player wants to go to a team without a solid structure and track record of competence.
Russell will likely never be the best player on a championship team. The 23-year-old is locked up for four years and is just coming off his first All-Star season, averaging over 21 points per game and making almost three triples per game.
Having under 16% of his two-point attempts and under 55% of his three-point attempts assisted on, Russell’s game is more of a one-man show. That’s one reason why many are questioning his fit with this 2019-2020 Warriors team that thrives off movement.
Overall, his fit will matter. It may get him traded, but ultimately, Myers bought into Russell to make him the future.
Eventually, Russell may be the key to keeping Golden State relevant.