D'Angelo Russell believes he was 'held back' by the Timberwolves
When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for D'Angelo Russell in Feb. 2020, it was supposed to be a turning point for the ballot.
Three times latterly, Russell is thriving in the playoffs, but he is doing so with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Russell scored 21 points and added five assists in the Lakers' 127- 97 palm over the Golden State soldiers in
Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Saturday night but the captions came after the game,
when the 27- time-old suggested he'd been held back with the Timberwolves during an interview with The Athletics’ Sam Amick.
" I felt like I was held back there, actually," Russell said." I just kind of had to be the third option. Some nights,
I was a little more aggressive and was kind of being held back. So, to be in a position now where I can kind of thrive and be aggressive
and it gets guys going and where the platoon reflects of anybody with that type of energy, it's fun."
Russell's rejuvenescence has coincided with a change of decor after the Timberwolves transferred him to Los Angeles
in a three- platoon deal where Minnesota acquired Mike Conley Sr. Although he's comprising smaller points and assists per game with the Lakers,
he was anticipated to be further of a facilitator in Minnesota in order to get Anthony Edwards, Karl- Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert involved.
" I felt that my confidence was being taken down with the style that I was playing in," Russel said of his part with the Wolves."
I am a killer, man. I am a raspberry that needs to fly, and I could not really fly there. They put me in a box that I was successful in.
But I did that for confidence. I had to kind of feed to guys and hypercritically, I was with it because we were winning but I know what type of player I am."