Brooklyn Nets: 3 Storylines to Watch During the Upcoming 2018-19 Season

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2. D’Angelo Russell’s All-Star Aspirations

If D’Angelo Russell becomes an All-Star you can bet that the Nets will be a playoff contender come mid-season. D’Lo has all the tools to become an elite floor general. He’s a scoring machine with a passing ability and elite handle to boot.

Before suffering a knee injury that kept him out for 31 games, Russell was on a real hot streak. In those first 12 games, he put up almost 21 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.7 RPG on only 27.7 minutes of playing time. Even more impressive was the company he kept with such numbers.

If D’Lo had stayed healthy and kept those numbers up for a full season he would’ve joined an elite company of players who produced that in their age 22 season (Per Nets Daily); Chris Paul, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Derrick Rose, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tracy McGrady, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, Magic Johnson, Chris Webber.

That was further illustrated by some sensational early season numbers in the pick and roll.

There are still many areas Russell needs to improve on to be in the All-Star conversation. His defense was atrocious throughout his 2017-18 tenure and his efficiency on the ball wasn’t much better. 3.1 turnovers per game isn’t a horrible number but it’s one that will need to improve if he continues to have the ball in his hand a heap. If he can bring that number to anywhere under three then it’ll help his case for an All-Star berth.

His field goal percentages weren’t exactly eye catching either, 41.4% from the field and 32.4% from the perimeter. If he can bring that field goal number close to 43% and the perimeter to 35%+ then it’ll go along to helping the Nets as a whole as well as Russell’s individual aspirations.

It’ll take some massive strides for D’Lo to crack into the All-Star race, especially considering that ROTY winner, Ben Simmons, didn’t even make the team in an injury-riddled Eastern Conference squad. He’s got the talent, it’s whether he can put it all together to add a significant notch to his growing NBA resume.

Next Up: Storyline 1

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Jac Manuell

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