Golden State Warriors need to place faith in D’Angelo Russell
By Tony Pesta
The Golden State Warriors should be placing their faith in the hands of D’Angelo Russell.
As the Golden State Warriors transition into the next phase of their dynasty, all eyes should be on 23-year old D’Angelo Russell.
It’s a tricky thing for a franchise to successfully move from one era into another. Few organizations in league history have done it. The first that come to mind are the mid-2000 San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Warriors have a chance to replicate greatness by entering the new decade with another championship-caliber team. This year’s squad is obviously far from competing for a title but a fully healthy core of Russell, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be elite.
Though Russell may not be the standout player of the bunch, he is the one with the most potential this decade. Youth is on his side and the Dubs need to place their faith in his hands.
D-Lo has already proven to be a dedicated worker. He has improved his game each season and is playing at a career-high level for the second straight year. His averages of 23.9 points and 6.9 assists show that he is ready to take another step forward as a star.
Because of his youth and talent, Russell has been a hot target for trade rumors. The Warriors would receive a sizeable return for D-Lo and the temptation may be too much to resist.
However, the Warriors should avoid trading Russell. They are fortunate to have such a promising prospect on their roster heading into the next stage of their franchise and should do everything in their power to help develop him into their next superstar.
The Dubs are in a perfect position to build Russell as the franchise cornerstone and it’s clear that he is up to the challenge. It’s difficult to find stars that want to stay in one place in today’s league and the Warriors should take advantage of their situation by eventually handing the keys to Russell.