Nets' Russell available to return Friday vs. Heat after long layoff
Nets point guard D'Angelo Russell said he is available to play in Friday's game against the Heat, according to South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman.
Russell, the Los Angeles Lakers' No. 2 overall pick in 2015 before his trade to Brooklyn this past summer, hasn't played since Nov. 11 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
In 12 appearances, Russell has averaged 20.9 points, 5.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and a steal per game.
For a team that expected to field a starting backcourt of Russell and Jeremy Lin this season, injuries quickly derailed its best-laid plans. If there's been any silver lining, it's that the boatload of backcourt minutes allowed Spencer Dinwiddie to break out as one of the season's best success stories; the fourth-year pro has averaged 14.4 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game since permanently moving into the starting lineup on Nov. 14.
Perhaps no one is more excited about Dinwiddie's emergence than his future backcourt partner.
"I’m looking forward to getting out there with him," Russell told BrooklynNets.com's Alex Labidou. "Getting my sweat back and having a guy like him, of his caliber, right next to you. I think the sky is the limit."