CHICAGO — D’Angelo Russell is playing the best basketball of his life.

And the best news for the Nets is that basketball can get better. A lot better.

“For D’Angelo, the biggest thing is he doesn’t understand how talented he is,” DeMarre Carroll said. “Sometimes when you’re that talented you think it’s all about scoring. But he can do so much for this team as far as assists, talking to guys, and defending. I feel like he’s finding his groove.

“He’s just got to continue to keep playing, getting other guys involved. And at the end of the game we’re going to depend on him and Spencer [Dinwiddie] to close the game. He’ll get his points, but now he’s really seeing the game as a bigger picture, ‘Hey, I can get 10 assists, I can play defense on the top point guards.’ He’s still young, so he can just continue to keep growing.”

The Nets certainly hope so, despite deciding not to extend Russell before the season, meaning he can be a restricted free agent this summer. Still just 22 and posting career-highs in points and assists, he’ll be near the top of the point guard market behind Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.

Russell has averaged 26.0 points and 8.3 assists in his past three games, and has notched at least 20 points and 10 dimes in consecutive contests. It’s the first time he’s done that in his career, and the first time any Net has done so since Deron Williams in 2012-13. He has a shot Sunday in Chicago to make it three straight, something no Net has managed since Kenny Anderson in 1994.

“I’m going on Year 4, so you learn a lot as you go along,” Russell said. “My teammates have given me the proper guidance to learn and adjust. Our [veterans], they’ve been doing that for me, so I give a lot of credit to them.

“They communicate on the court, off the court. They let you know straight up what it is, they get into you if they need to. It’s a great vibe we have around here.”

Russell has always been a smooth mid-range scorer, but the most auspicious sign is he’s starting to tap his prodigious potential as a passer. In his first 27 games, he averaged 5.7 assists. But in the past 12 since a Dec. 8 win over the Knicks, he’s bumped that to 8.0, third-best behind Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

And that improved play has elevated the Nets’ level. Russell is averaging 18.5 points and 7.8 assists to lead their hot 11-3 run.

“D’Angelo’s No. 1 skill, it’s his elite passing skills … He sees things other guys don’t see,” said coach Kenny Atkinson, adding, “Those are the type of passes that LeBron [James] makes.”

Like a perfect bounce pass to Ed Davis on Tuesday against New Orleans, or finding Joe Harris with a diagonal cross-court pass for a corner 3 on Thursday in Memphis. Part of a 12-5 run, it gave the Nets a 64-63 lead and they never trailed again.

There’s a reason Brooklyn is 5-2 when he has nine or more assists.

“He’s making the game simple, making all the right reads,” Joe Harris said. “Whether it’s making a play for himself or somebody else, he’s doing an unbelievable job facilitating and making the game so much easier for everybody.”

Will that convince the Nets to match any offers this summer? Sources say they’re pleased with Russell. And despite tweeting Thursday: “Control what you can control 2019-20-21…”, Russell appears happy in Brooklyn.

“We’re winning,” Russell said of the Nets’ chemistry. “I haven’t won a lot in this league, so for me to get that type of success, I’m going to stick with it.”