D’Angelo Russell says he wants other NBA teams to “hate” the Brooklyn Nets.
Russell doesn’t want rivals thinking they’re in for an easy night when facing the Nets anymore.
D’Angelo Russell: "I want teams to hate us" https://t.co/nN5XEe19ZA pic.twitter.com/MyhmtSvuSI
— NetsDaily.com (@NetsDaily) August 25, 2017
BK swung a trade for the 21-year-old point guard this summer, who is looking to make the Los Angeles Lakers pay for giving up on him after just two seasons.
Per NetsDaily:
“I want teams to hate us,” Russell said at the Nets Inaugural Basketball Camp at Battery Park City. “We’ve struggled over the last few years in Brooklyn. Teams are used to coming in and taking nights off. I just want to rebuild that and make it a place where people come and say, ‘alright we got the crowd against us. It’s New York.’”
Russell is coming off two years of ridicule in Los Angeles, 43 wins, two different coaches. On his way out, new GM Magic Johnson had some choice words for the 21-year-old. But now, he’s in Brooklyn, with a chip, with an edge. He feels it can be the M.O. of this Brooklyn Nets team.
“I feel like everyone’s confident around here. Individually speaking I know I’m coming in with an edge. Allen Crabbe – I know he’s coming in with an edge. DeMarre Carroll’s coming in with an edge. I feel like we’re a confident team and we’re looking forward to doing what we do best.”
He won’t commit to playoffs just yet. He used the term “confident” to describe Jeremy Lin’s call for the playoffs. He also won’t commit to being the “face” of the franchise, as deemed by many. Russell has already bought into the “team-first” mentality that Kenny Atkinson has preached.
