D’Angelo Russell landed in Minnesota. His welcoming comes with the added pressure on him not just to perform, but to be a team leader.

As much as the Timberwolves can use his limitless offensive ceiling, playmaking and scoring ability, the franchise is desperate for somebody to turn around the cultural problems within the franchise.

It has become increasingly evident that trading out Jimmy Butler wasnt the solution. There are far deeper problems within the team.

D’Angelo joins his fourth team in five years, his movements motivated mostly by the fact he’s been the perfect bargaining chip for teams to trade with. Can he finally find stability in Minnesota?

He has worked extremely hard to resurrect a career that was heading towards being a bust following the Lakers selecting him #2 in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Timberwolves now have both the #1 and #2 selections of the draft, Anthony-Towns being selected first.

Four years later and following an All-Star campaign at Brooklyn as well as a being a highlight during Golden State’s poor season, you can’t help but feel he may be the missing piece for the Timberwolves.

Russell was uninspiring at times during his time in L.A. Following his trade to Brooklyn in 2017, Magic Johnson said “What I needed was a leader. I needed somebody also that can make the other players better and also somebody that players want to play with.”

He’s grown since then, evident upon returning to the Staple Centre with the Nets in 2019. “I don’t think there’s anything else to be said from my part,” Russell said before the game. “Whatever y’all decide to cook up, whatever quote y’all take, expand on it, good luck with it. But I don’t have any extra emotion.”

Minnesota fans will be hoping he’s arrived with his new found maturity and can become a leader along with his alpha-male personality, his sharp edge and ice cold veins.

Russell was also blessed to have played his rookie year season alongside Kobe Bryant in his final year. We’ll have to wait and see if he can bring a bit of that Mamba mentality to a team so desperate in need of it.