In many ways, basketball is the ultimate team game. All five players on the court rely upon each other on offense and defense, with communication a nonstop necessity. Which makes Minnesota guard D’Angelo Russell’s mental gaffe on Wednesday night against the Suns that much more glaring.
With teammate Jaylen Nowell at the free throw line midway through the second quarter, Russell apparently missed his queue to enter the game while standing at the scorer’s table. After Nowell hit his second free throw, the Suns put the ball in play, while Russell didn’t budge from his spot on the sideline.
Phoenix was able to get a shot off and grab the offensive rebound before Russell was alerted to get into the game. The reinforcement arrived too late, though, as Torrey Craig finished the possession by hitting an open three-pointer.
Russell has gotten off to a slow start this season, averaging 14.0 points per game—the lowest since his rookie season—while shooting a career-worst 38.3% from the field. Mental lapses like that certainly won’t help turn things around, particularly as the Timeberwolves went on to lose, 129–117.
