Will D'Angelo Russell make his Nets season debut tonight against the Raptors?

D'Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis will likely make their Brooklyn Nets season debut tonight against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena. Both will be available for selection. The Nets roped in Russell and Lewis from Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, along with three second-round picks, for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.

D'Angelo Russell To Kickstart Second Stint With Brooklyn Nets

In the previous stint (2017-19) with the Nets, Russell showcased decent numbers. He averaged 19.0 points and 6.3 assists per game on 43/36/77 shooting splits in two seasons. He attained the All-Star acclamation in 2018-19 while leading the rebuilding squad, which was at 6th on the Eastern Conference table. However, the Nets traded him to the Golden State Warriors for Kevin Durant in the following offseason. Later Kyrie Irving replaced him as the Nets' lead guard.

Following the recent trade, Russell finds himself on a Nets team in rebuild mode, which may create a paradoxical situation where his individual brilliance could hinder the team's long-term goals in securing a high draft pick.

For the Lakers, Russell averaged 16.6 points and 5.9 assists per game on 45/40/82 shooting splits. Thus, it will be intriguing to witness whether the homecoming stretch with the Nets will work for D'Angelo Russell. 

Nets Suffer Injury Plight

In other news, the Nets ruled out Cam Thomas for Wednesday's Raptors matchup as a cautious step since he is still managing the injury suffered on his left hamstring. Thomas had just returned to action on Sunday vs. the Orlando Magic following a month-long absence. He scored 25 points, six rebounds and five assists on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line during a 102-101 loss.

The team's injury report remains thick, with Ziaire Williams (left knee sprain) and Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain) remaining sidelined for the Toronto game.

The Toronto Raptors are currently competing with the Brooklyn Nets for a higher draft pick, both aiming for Cooper Flagg. They enter Wednesday at the heavy back of 10-game losing streak that sees them five games worse than Brooklyn in the standings. Raptors ended up on the losing side against Boston Celtics on Tuesday at TD Garden. They lost by a heavy margin of 54 points, which is the biggest defeat in terms of points deficit this season.