In his return to the Brooklyn Nets, D’Angelo Russell delivered an impressive performance, scoring 22 points in his second debut with the franchise. The Nets acquired Russell in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he wasted no time making an impact on the court.
Russell, who played for the Nets from 2017 to 2019, was welcomed back with open arms by fans and teammates alike. His first game back saw him come off the bench and immediately assert himself on the offensive end. He shot 9-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, and added 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal across 26 minutes of play off the bench.
Despite the Nets’ 130-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Russell’s performance was a bright spot in an otherwise challenging game.
As you can imagine, NBA Twitter reacted accordingly.
D’Angelo Russell whenever he is a Brooklyn Net pic.twitter.com/syrVDEeAAz
— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) January 2, 2025
Wonder whose going to be the scapegoat now?
— Diet💦 (@DietWaterGUY) January 2, 2025
Lakers fans watching D’Angelo Russell drop 22 PTS and 8 AST tonight after Dorian Finney-Smith gave them 2 PTS and 2 REB.
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) January 2, 2025
D’Angelo Russell just stole Ben Simmons’ chains 😭
DLo – 22 PTS, 8 AST, 26 MIN (off-the-bench)
Simmons – 2 PTS, 6 AST, 24 MIN (starter) pic.twitter.com/cf2zdyF9ZD
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) January 2, 2025
D’Angelo Russell vs Dorian Finney Smith debut:
22 Points 2 Points
69% FG 25% FG
8 Assists 2 AssistsLAKERS GOT A THREAT…TO THEIR OWN TEAM 🤩🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/Us0s6ry0AG
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) January 2, 2025
D’Angelo Russell when back on the Nets pic.twitter.com/qEz7mcvhlx
— Doug Norrie (@DougNorrie) January 2, 2025
