Golden State Warriors: D’Angelo Russell is a superstar in the making

The Golden State Warriors have a blooming superstar on their hands in D’Angelo Russell.

It was a make-or-break decision the Golden State Warriors made when they completed a sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Kevin Durant.

In all honesty, the Warriors didn’t have much of a choice. The two-time Finals MVP had already made up his mind that he would be leaving the franchise. The Warriors felt lucky to be able to land a young star in return.

Regardless, Russell’s fit alongside the already prevalent backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson was questionable. How would a third guard find success alongside the Splash Brothers? Would the Dubs end up repackaging D-Lo in another trade further down the line?

Well, these questions haven’t been answered yet and they likely won’t be until the end of the season. Best case scenario, the Dubs find out if Russell works alongside Thompson and Curry before next year’s trade deadline.

Though his future with the team is still unclear, there is one thing that Russell has been making abundant to the rest of the league, he has superstar potential.

Russell has wasted no time showing the offensive monster he can be when fully unleashed. Playing as the clear-cut number one option for the first time in his career, Russell is putting up his best numbers to date.

In a recent 10 game stretch, D-Lo has averaged 25.9 points and 6.7 assists on 43.2 percent shooting from the floor. He is steadily learning what it takes to steer an NBA offense and he has found brief spurts of success in the absence of his star teammates.

It must be noted that the Warriors are at the bottom of the Western Conference standings and even Russell’s career-high 52 point performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves wasn’t enough to secure them a win.

But, Russell cannot be blamed entirely for the Dubs lackluster season. A number of injuries plus disappointing play from the team’s sole star, Draymond Green, has combined to give the Warriors the ugly 10-34 record they possess.

At 23 years of age, Russell will be a sponge for knowledge playing alongside the likes of Curry. The Warriors would be smart to keep Russell in the long run as he very well may become a superstar once he hits his prime.