By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
Just a few days after being traded by the Lakers to Brooklyn, D’Angelo Russell will return to the Crypto.com Arena this Friday with the Nets. A meeting which deserves to be taken very seriously according to JJ Redick.
At first glance, this meeting clearly does not appear to be the most attractive of the evening. On paper, the shocks pitting the Magic against the Knicks or the Timberwolves against the Knicks this Friday have more to make us salivate. However, some fans of NBA should focus their attention on the Nets’ trip to the Crypto.com Arena, where they will challenge the Lakers.
This can after all be understood, since this match will have some significant stakes. LeBron James and his teammates will, for example, have the opportunity to consolidate their place in the Top 6 of the Western Conference. But above all, they will find themselves on this occasion facing a certain D’Angelo Russelltraded three weeks earlier in Brooklyn. A reunion that could smell like gunpowder.
JJ Redick wary before taking on D’Angelo Russell
At a press conference in recent hours, JJ Redick obviously focused his speech on the upcoming confrontation against the Nets. He also took the opportunity to discuss the D’Angelo Russell case, which he said he was delighted to welcome:
JJ Redick : It’ll be nice to see DLo again. He’s going to be ready to face us and it’s going to be a fun match.
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-Obviously impatient at the idea of finding his former leader, the Angelino coach knows however that the latter should not give him any gifts for the occasion:
JJ Redick : I expect him to try to put out a big game. He does not lack competitive spirit. He’s someone who takes a lot of pride in who he is as a player.
I expect he’ll be looking to cause us problems tomorrow. Like you said, he’s going to play against his old team, so it would be normal for him to approach the match like that.
Redick doesn’t believe he’s saying that well, he who mainly played Russell off the bench before he was the subject of a trade.
It is therefore a safe bet that the latter will do everything to show him that he deserved more consideration before being sent to Brooklyn. It remains to be seen whether he will be in full possession of his means to do this. Indeed, DLo has missed five of his team’s last six games due to a shin injury. Anything but ideal for trying to get his revenge against a coach who didn’t trust him.
If he says he is happy at the idea of seeing D’Angelo Russell again, JJ Redick is nevertheless one of the main instigators of his recent departure to Brooklyn. As such, he has every reason to fear possible revenge from the leader this Friday.
