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D’Angelo Russell, 6’5″ Shooting Guard/Point Guard, The Ohio State University, 19 Years Old
The best place to start with D’Angelo Russell is his ridiculous vision. He sees the game three or four frames before the actual action takes place, and shows an ability to deliver the ball to the right player, and at the right time. He is extremely effective at finding cutters, but also recognizing how the defense will rotate, so he has to rotate his thinking to find the correct cutter. Sounds complex, and it certainly is. Personal favorite of Russell’s is his quick drop down pass when coming off an off-ball screen, something DraftExpress broke down in Russell’s video on their site. The rest of his offensive game is up to par as well. He can play either guard position efficiently, and has the ability to knockdown open three point shots. He understands when to attack the defense, or when he should reset the offense. He also does a nice job of drawing fouls, something that can really help him at the next level. Extremely smart player; has a high basketball I.Q.
Russell’s defensive work has a lot left to be desired when compared to his offensive game. Although he has a solid 6-foot-9 wingspan, he doesn’t always move his feet well enough to stay in front of a driving opponent. Considering NBA players are just that much quicker, it could be a problem for Russell. The wingspan does help him create havoc in passing lanes, though. His strength will also help him bully smaller guards despite the quickness variable being against him. He should be able to switch on screens involving the small forward. Russell is a hard-worker though, and he will not let himself be a defensive liability.
Russell has a legitimate All-Star ceiling in his game. With the overload of quality guards coming into the league, it might be hard for him to get to one, but he will consistently put him nice numbers. Many think he will average somewhere around 24 points per game at his peak, but I see more of a 20/8/5 player (Points/Assists/Rebounds).
Russell’s main strength is his demeanor. He’s a natural leader, and is never scared of the moment. He’s going to work extremely hard on his game. His weakness is probably his lack of “elite” athleticism. This isn’t a career-killer by any means, but could present some problems. On offense, he might not be able to get past some of the better defenders in the league, and on defense, he will have to work very hard to move his feet.
One of the more difficult players in the draft to compare, Russell is truly an unique player. Recently retired Jason Kidd is the type of player that Russell can become, though. Kidd had amazing vision, great on-court leadership, while also scoring and rebounding the ball well. Kidd wasn’t a great shooter early in his career, and neither is Russell. That said, Kidd really improved throughout his career, something we could see from Russell. He has a chance to be that type of player.
Russell is a sure-fire Top 5 pick, so he will most likely be starter by default. That said, he could start for most teams in the league right away. His high level of maturity will help him come into the NBA with the right mindset.
