The Case for Russell

[Monster]

There is no case for Russell, he's a better version of C.J. Mccollum nothing to get excited over. Not enough athleticism, great in game smarts = limited upside. MN paid an above average backup PG a good sum of money though so what do I know.

Exactly!!!

Except Russell played in a better conference. Has a 6 inch higher reach and 4 inch longer wingspan. Better court vision and passer. Is younger and doesn't have injury history. He's the 10th one-and-done player with a WARP projection higher than 3.0. Of the previous nine, six developed into All-Stars. Nerlens Noel is too young to evaluate. Greg Oden was unable to live up to his potential because of injuries. The only non-injury disappointment in this group was Michael Beasley.

Looks like good company to me.

Some good statistical points and like I said he has great in game smarts. He changes gears to keep defenders off balance and has that no fear to shoot right in your face instinct. For me I watched some tape on him and worry quite a bit about how he will play against NBA competition. The athleticism is not there for me and his skill set might (not sold on that yet) be an upgrade over Rubio but that's more of a knock against Rubio isn't it.

Now Chad Ford tweeted that Russell had a max vertical of 39" which is pretty impressive and surprising. Now that hasn't shown up on tape as much as I would like. Maybe he is a underrated athlete.

Thats pretty much what the deal was with Roy too wasn't it? He tested better than what people thought he could do on the court? I'm not saying he is Roy just noting the similarity at least how I remember it. Lol

[Coolbreeze44]

There is no case for Russell, he's a better version of C.J. Mccollum nothing to get excited over. Not enough athleticism, great in game smarts = limited upside. MN paid an above average backup PG a good sum of money though so what do I know.

Exactly!!!

Except Russell played in a better conference. Has a 6 inch higher reach and 4 inch longer wingspan. Better court vision and passer. Is younger and doesn't have injury history. He's the 10th one-and-done player with a WARP projection higher than 3.0. Of the previous nine, six developed into All-Stars. Nerlens Noel is too young to evaluate. Greg Oden was unable to live up to his potential because of injuries. The only non-injury disappointment in this group was Michael Beasley.

Looks like good company to me.

Some good statistical points and like I said he has great in game smarts. He changes gears to keep defenders off balance and has that no fear to shoot right in your face instinct. For me I watched some tape on him and worry quite a bit about how he will play against NBA competition. The athleticism is not there for me and his skill set might (not sold on that yet) be an upgrade over Rubio but that's more of a knock against Rubio isn't it.

Now Chad Ford tweeted that Russell had a max vertical of 39" which is pretty impressive and surprising. Now that hasn't shown up on tape as much as I would like. Maybe he is a underrated athlete.

Yeah, you just can't learn anything from these workouts, can you?

[mrhockey89]

Russell is not Roy and he's certainly not Harden or Curry. He's probably closer to Waiters or Turner. Roy shot over 50% in college and Russell shot less than 45% with a soft schedule and shoots less than 36% against ranked teams. He doesn't play great defense, not a good finisher near the basket, not that athletic or strong or tall.

I'd argue that Russell is a better prospect than Roy was coming out, has better knees, and will have a longer career. You can run the same stat over and over if it spreads your butter, but all you have to do is watch a few games of Russell to make it perfectly clear he's a game changer.

[Monster]

Russell is not Roy and he's certainly not Harden or Curry. He's probably closer to Waiters or Turner. Roy shot over 50% in college and Russell shot less than 45% with a soft schedule and shoots less than 36% against ranked teams. He doesn't play great defense, not a good finisher near the basket, not that athletic or strong or tall.

I'd argue that Russell is a better prospect than Roy was coming out, has better knees, and will have a longer career. You can run the same stat over and over if it spreads your butter, but all you have to do is watch a few games of Russell to make it perfectly clear he's a game changer.

I suspect they were very different players coming out of college. I remember Roy had this maxing knack for finishing around the rim despite that athletic ability people didn't see out of him and just looking at his basic college stats make that seem likely. Roy took 154 3's his entire career Russell took 254 last year. So Russell seems more of a shooter. What I don't get is people comparing Roy or Turner etc upperclassman's stats to Russell who put up similar or better stats as a freshman. I'm not saying the dude is a sure star but he is a pretty good prospect that played in a good conference and played for a pretty good coach. he wasn't playing in some poor conference or for a team that hasn't been good for years or maybe ever. If you want ammo to say he sucks compare him to Mayo and I won't be able to argue. Lol

[bleedspeed]

OJ Mayo is an interesting comparison. Russell is bigger then Mayo and a better passer and rebounder. Mayo was a better FT shooter.

[bleedspeed]

Making the Case for being the No. 1 pick: D'Angelo Russell
http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2015/insider/story/_/id/13012230/nba-draft-making-case-no-1-dangelo-russell

[bleedspeed]

D'Angelo Russell knows the word all too well. He owns it proudly when I ask him the inevitable question players like Russell get asked this time of year.

He was asked by a pool of reporters at the NBA draft combine: "Are you the best player in this draft?"

Russell offered a bold "Yes."

It created a little stir online. Doesn't Russell know that Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are in this draft?

Russell's been working out with Towns for the past several weeks -- his prime competition, along with Okafor, for the No. 1 pick.

Towns is bigger, more athletic, and in many ways, just as skilled. Towns was recruited heavily by the top college program in the country, Kentucky. He was invited to the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit as a 16-year-old. He's been prepping for this his whole life.

Russell didn't even begin playing basketball until he was 12. Spent as much time practicing karate and softball as he did playing hoops. He seriously considered giving up basketball for football when he entered high school. He never cracked the Top 10 in ESPN's high school rankings.

Russell led Montverde to back-to-back Dick's Nationals Championships. But, despite the winning pedigree and being a native of Louisville, he never was offered a scholarship by John Calipari. He was only lightly recruited by Rick Pitino.

One-and-done?

"I didn't plan on it," Russell said. "I mean, it was always a dream. But to suddenly have the dream happen so soon. It was kind of scary."

Towns was ranked No. 3 on our Big Board to start the season. Russell didn't make the initial cut in the Top 30 in July and didn't crack the top 10 until December. In our latest Big Board 10.0, Towns is now the No. 1 prospect. Russell is at No. 3.

He remains undeterred. Unbent. Undefeated.

"I want to know what you are supposed to say to that?" Russell says, shaking his head when I ask him whether he's the best player in the draft. "You know what I'm saying? I really want to know. You can ask anyone and they'd say yes. But I believe it."

[bleedspeed]

Better than Towns?

"He's unbelievable, man," Russell says. "His talent is undeniable. I've never seen anything like it." But then he leans in and looks me in the eye. "But yeah. I'm confident in my abilities."

Ask Russell who the toughest player he's ever had to play against and he skips high school altogether and names one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game.

"Playing with Chris Paul," Russell said. "He's a great dude. Being able to communicate with him on and off the court. Getting the knowledge that he brings. We were competing. He's made me a better player. And he's making me a better person."

It's the "We were competing" line that stood out. Competing with Chris Paul? "Yeah."

That would sound cocky except five other people that saw it in the gym the past week in Thousand Oaks said the same thing. Not better than Chris Paul. But competing.

Tell him he's unathletic and he calmly, after an on-the-court basketball workout and weight-lifting session, has the staff put up the vertical jump apparatus.

First jump. A standing vert. 30.5 inches. Not bad. O.J. Mayo, Andre Iguodala and Jeff Teague measured the same in past draft combines.

Onto the max vertical where players get a three-step start. First jump. 37 inches. Very good. Russell Westbrook measured a 36.5-inch vertical at the combine.

He's not done. Russell wants to try again.

Second try. 37.5 inches. Brandon Knight hit that mark in 2011.

Now Karl-Anthony Towns is egging him on. All of us are gathered around. The competitive juices are flowing. Third jump. 39 inches. That's the number John Wall hit in 2010. John Wall.

[bleedspeed]

He doesn't say anything as he walks back to the group. But the body language says everything. "Unathletic?"

Like I said, underrated.

When the competitive juices start flowing, that's when Russell comes out to play. That's why seeing him in a workout setting like I saw Monday in Thousand Oaks can be a bit deceiving.

All the tools are still there. The silky smooth jumper. The elite ball handling skills for a player his size. The crafty footwork, hesitations and floaters.

From an offensive point of view, there isn't a more complete guard in the draft. Russell is equally adept at stroking the long ball and getting to the basket. He shot 62 percent at the rim this season and 41 percent from 3, according to Hoops-Math.com.

But what makes Russell an elite prospect worthy of the No. 1 pick in the draft is something that's hard to see in a workout setting like this. He sees the game, the floor and his teammates as well as anyone in the draft.

He might have the body and skills of a shooting guard. But he sees the game like a point guard.

"He asks the best questions," Don MacLean, a former NBA player says about Russell. "Most guys come in here and their questions are basic. He's asking graduate school questions. He constantly trying to figure out how to get an advantage."

In drills, he's obviously talented. But it's in the 5-on-5 that he shines.

"He's the most creative passer in the draft," one GM said. "He sees things developing before the rest of us do."

He means plays like this one against Northwestern.

[bleedspeed]

Here's close up footage of the same play. And this one versus Iowa. Those two aren't isolated examples.

Russell didn't even play point guard for his team this season (senior Shannon Scott got those honors) and he still racked up five assists per game for the season. Many of them in spectacular fashion.

So when teams question, as they are wont to do, whether he's a point guard, that "underrated" word keeps creeping up again.

Why aren't teams sure he's a point guard?

"I don't know," Russell says. "I focus on being a basketball player. If it's me having the passing ability or having a shooting guard size, whatever it is, I just try to be the best basketball player I can be all around. I don't want any holes in my game. So if it's being a passer or a scorer if need be, whatever I need to do I feel like I can adapt and translate."

If some scouts aren't sold on how his game will translate, the numbers people certainly are. Kevin Pelton has Russell ranked No. 2 on his Statistical Big Board and No. 1 overall in projected WARP. In speaking with a number of NBA teams that use analytics to evaluate players, he's either No. 1 or No. 2 in virtually every system used by teams.

Writes Pelton: "Russell tops all NCAA prospects in projected WARP, with one of the 10 best projections for any freshman in my database back through 2003. His strength is his versatility. Per Sports-Reference.com, Russell is the only major-conference freshman to average at least five rebounds and five assists per game since 2009-10. Russell's statistics suggest he should be able to play point guard in the NBA. In fact, his projected assist rate would put him in the top 25 percent of all point guards in my database."

His top projected NBA comp according to Pelton? The Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard with a 96.0 similarity score.

Other scouts compare him to Stephen Curry, Manu Ginobili and James Harden. Russell sees all of them as possible fits, though he thinks he's unique enough to make his own way.

"[I've been] watching players like Manu Ginobili and Steph Curry. Players who can really pass the ball gave me that knowledge. I see a lot of James Harden. I'm not at the level of any of those guys. But I'm definitely focused on trying to be at that point or even better. I want to come into the league and be my own player. Do a little bit of everything and take a little bit from everybody and create my own player."

Lillard, Curry, Ginobili, Harden? One was MVP. Another was the runner-up. Another Rookie of the Year. The fourth, a perennial Sixth Man of the Year with several NBA rings.

That's lofty company and why Russell is getting serious looks from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia Sixers and New York Knicks. Yes, even the Wolves at No. 1 have scheduled a workout.

It has a lot to do with the players I just mentioned. There was a time and era where big men ruled the league. That time and era has passed.