D'Angelo Russell career highs: Running through the best games of DLo's career

Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell recently made waves by agreeing with a post that stated he can play as well as Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry when he's at his very best. It was met with a chorus of jeers, as few have ever reached the heights at which Curry comfortably resides.

What was quickly overlooked in the ridicule that was sent Russell's way, however, is that consistency and peak capabilities are not mutually exclusive.

Whether or not Russell compares to Curry, he's one of the most explosive players in the NBA as far as peak performance is concerned. Once he's found his rhythm, few can slow him down, and even fewer can match what he's capable of producing.

A simple look at the statistical peaks of Russell's career offers insight into just how capable he is of reaching the aforementioned all-time levels when he's at his very best.

When his jump shot is falling, Russell can score as well as just about any point guard in the NBA. When he's determined to create for others, he can run a postseason-caliber offense. When he wants to shift his priorities to other areas of the game, he shows how complete a player he's capable of being.

That all begins with the simple fact that Russell has the distinction of scoring upwards of 50 points in an NBA game.

Points: 52 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves - November 8, 2019

As fate would have it, this career-high was recorded when Russell was teammates with Curry on the Golden State Warriors. It's one of the best examples of the type of player Russell can be when his shot is falling and the green light is shining.

On November 8, 2019, Russell dropped 52 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in a 125-119 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It was one of Russell's six career games with at least 40 points scored, which further hammers home the point about how dangerous he is when his shot is falling. The Warriors may have lost to the Timberwolves on that day, but Russell is the last player to carry an ounce of blame.

With a career-high of 52 points and a 2023-24 season-high of 44, Russell continues to prove that he's capable of truly dominant play when he's at his very best.

Assists: 17 vs. Utah Jazz - February 14, 2024

Russell set his career-high in assists during the 2023-24 season with the Lakers. It was a season during which he also scored 44 points against the Milwaukee Bucks and exceeded 10 assists on 11 different occasions.

The best facilitating performance of the season from Russell arrived on Valentine's Day, when he dished out a career-high 17 assists in a 138-122 win over the Utah Jazz.

Russell was exceptional, producing 11 points, 17 assists, nine rebounds, and a steal while committing just two turnovers. It was the second time in his career that he'd eclipsed 15 assists and was the second time in less than two weeks that he'd dished out at least 14 dimes.

Russell has averaged 6.5 assists per game since his All-Star season in 2018-19 and continues to prove that he can lead an extraordinary offense when at his best.

Rebounds: 11 vs. Toronto Raptors - March 23, 2018

Don't let Luka Doncic and Russell Westbrook trick you into thinking that point guards are supposed to be pulling down 15 rebounds in a single game. More often than not, point guards are flirting with three-to-five per game and rarely going over those marks.

D'Angelo Russell experienced a rare trip into the double-figures on March 23, 2018, when he pulled. down a career-high 11 boards against the Toronto Raptors.

Russell finished the game against Toronto with a triple-double, posting 18 points and 13 assists to go along with the 11 rebounds. Brooklyn unfortunately lost that game, but it was one of the showings from the beginning of the Nets' resurgence—led by Russell.

With career-highs thus far amounting to 52 points, 17 assists, and 11 rebounds, it's suddenly a bit less blasphemous to be in awe of how great Russell can be.

Blocks: 3 (x4)

There have been four different occasions on which Russell has set and then matched his career-high of four blocks. Three of those games were played with the Lakers, including his first, which was recorded during his initial stint with the team on November 2, 2016.

Russell then blocked another three shots on February 3, 2021 while playing for the Timberwolves—and reached that mark again on two different occasions in 2023-24.

Russell tied his career high with three blocks against the Houston Rockets on November 8, 2023. He did it again roughly a month later, swatting three shots against the Timberwolves while also posting 17 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals.

Russell isn't necessarily known for his defense, but he proved in 2023-24 that he can make an impact when his focus is there.

Steals: 7 vs. Los Angeles Lakers - October 28, 2022

In addition to setting career highs with the Lakers, Russell has actually set one against the purple and gold. It took place on October 28, 2022, when Russell anchored the defensive effort as a member of the Timberwolves in a 111-102 win over Los Angeles.

Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns took on the starring roles as scorers, all posting 20-plus points on the night, but Russell's defense was a key story.

Russell came up with a career-high seven steals on that day, with many of those swipes resulting in offense on the other end. He finished with 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds, seven steals, and a block in just under 31 minutes of play.

While not necessarily known as a ball hawk, a career average of 1.1 steals per game is nothing to scoff at.

Three-Point Field Goals Made: 9 (x4)

Russell is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA. This past season, he set a Lakers record with 225 three-point field goals made and shot the lights out at a clip of 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.

As such, it should come as no surprise that Russell tied his career-high with nine three-point field goals made in a single game in 2023-24.

Russell has buried nine three-point field goals in a game on four different occasions. He first did it on November 12, 2018 with the Nets against—you guessed it—the Timberwolves, and managed to match that figure twice while playing for the Warriors.

This past season, Russell's nine three-point field goals made against the Milwaukee Bucks were a part of a 44-point and nine-assist effort in a 123-122 win.

Suffice it to say, when Russell gets hot, he's just about as good as anyone in the NBA.