Should the Indiana Pacers pursue D’Angelo Russell in free agency?
The Pacers would help D’Angelo Russell’s turnover problems
It’s not uncommon for point guards to be turnover-prone in their first few seasons. You can attribute it to nerves, a lack of court vision, rash decision-making, or all of the above, but taking care of the ball is an issue with Brooklyn’s leader too.
Russell’s 3.1 turnovers per game ranked 10th among guards and his 2.23 assist-to-turnover ratio was fourth worst among starting point guards. As he’s no longer in his first few seasons, it’ll be more critical that the starting point guard can be more careful with the ball.
One could assume this statistic would decrease if his usage also declines as a result of moving to a system where he isn’t the primary scorer. Russell averaged the most minutes and highest usage rate of his career this past season, yet posted a lower assist-to-turnover ratio than either of his initial two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. His assist percentage has shown a gradual increase each year to his career-high 41.3% in 2018-19.
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The point guard’s questionable decision-making isn’t strictly pertaining to his passing game either. Up until about January, Russell was often sitting on the bench in critical 4th quarter minutes. He began the first two months of the season cold, shooting just 40.7 in the time-span and 33.6% from deep in the month of November.
With the emergence of third-year wing (and Pacers draft pick) Caris LeVert, and reliable play from Spencer Dinwiddie, the two were often favored in lieu of the young point guard when the final quarter rolled around.
As the leader in shot attempts for the Nets, the starting guard often decided to take a rushed shot versus seeing what the offense could create; nearly 45% of Russell’s shot attempts came with at least 15 seconds left on the shot clock. These shots were often contested pull-up jumpers or difficult moving ones, so his courage wasn’t always appreciated.
Another factor into the guard being bench during critical minutes was his defense. Per 100 possessions, Russell posted a 110 defensive rating, just a slight improvement over his 112 career average. Regardless, the point guard isn’t one of the stronger defenders in the league.
However, as the Dan Burke-era has shown us, passable defenders can become good defenders when they come to Indiana. At the very least, his defense won’t regress given the guard’s age and lateral quickness.
One of the biggest concerns surrounding the high-usage scorer is his inability to get to the foul stripe. His 2.5 free throw attempts per game were the second lowest among starting point guards, trailing just behind Indy’s own Darren Collison. His inflated statistics don’t look much better, as he only takes four shots from the line every 100 possessions.
If Russell were shooting 42% from downtown, looking past his low free throw rate wouldn’t be too difficult. However, this inability doesn’t mix well when the guard becomes cold from the floor. Many players will begin driving into the paint to try and draw a foul when they’re not connecting on shots, but the Nets starter would often choose to jack up rushed shots instead.
If he chose to sign with Indiana, he’d find himself attracting less defensive pressure with Oladipo on the court. The benefit of playing alongside another creator would allow Russell to take more cuts at the basket, off the pass (with a higher potential of drawing a foul), versus feeling the responsibility to create a step-back contested jumper for himself.