D’Angelo Russell Praises Nets’ Structure: 'It Taught Me to Be a Professional'

For the second time in his near-decade-long NBA career, D'Angelo Russell has parted ways with the Brooklyn Nets. After reuniting with the franchise, he developed into an All-Star with back in late December, Russell played 29 games back in a Nets uniform last season.

As an unrestricted free agent, Russell joined the Dallas Mavericks, who were in dire need of a point guard alongside Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg after Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL that will force him to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season.

But Russell's split from Brooklyn wasn't ugly. In fact, despite now being a Maverick, the 29-year-old still can't stop raving about the way the Nets' franchise operates.

"The organization of Brooklyn is different. It's unlike any other. The performance team, coach, everything about Brooklyn is different than you would expect," Russell said in a video posted to the r/nba Reddit community. "And I've been around the league where, I came from the Lakers, where the structure is not the same. and then I go to Brooklyn, where it’s all structure, and it taught me how to be a professional."

Since coming into the league in 2015, Russell has played for five teams now, counting Dallas. He's had two stints with the Lakers and two stints with the Nets, but no matter where he's ended up, he hasn't seemed happier than when he suits up at the Barclays Center.

Russell also expressed a desire to remain in Brooklyn months ago, as he felt that the opportunity to serve as a vocal leader and get to be one of the team's primary ball handlers was one he didn't want to pass up.

Instead, the Nets opted to shore up the point guard spot through the 2025 NBA Draft, where they selected three players (Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf) who can play the position.

So while Russell didn't get his initial wish, the love for the organization remains.

"I always approached the game to where I was kinda nonchalant, and I felt like I could just wing it. When I got to Brooklyn, they taught me how to be a professional, how to sleep, how to eat, how to recover," he continued. "And that's why I'm still playing to this day, honestly."

Again a former Net, Russell will get two opportunities to play against his former team during his inaugural season in Dallas.