D’Angelo Russell proving he belongs among the Eastern Conference elite

D’Angelo Russell’s breakout season for the Brooklyn Nets has vaulted him into the ranks of the top guards in the East and he is worthy of an All-Star nod.

The Brooklyn Nets entered the 2018 season with several long-term questions to answer. None was bigger than the future of D’Angelo Russell.

Without any significant offseason acquisitions and Russell’s impending restricted free agency looming, the 22-year-old needed to elevate his play to the star-level that was expected when he was selected second-overall in 2015 if the Nets were to be successful.

In his fourth NBA season, Russell is making the jump from a good player to the star player and leader the Los Angeles Lakers believed he would…