[cabbycabParticipant]

 I was very impressed with this guy in college.  So smooth and effortless in scoring and creating space without being super quick.  He seems to have lost some luster now perhaps from his less than stellar summer league performance.  Are the Lakers still happy with this pick?  No doubt he can put up nice stats on a bad team but can any backcourt mate of Kobe be expected to produce impressive numbers ?

[T Rex]

 Big risk putting his locker right next to Kobe. If Russell loses his swag he’s really screwed.

 

 

 

 

[T Rex]

 Big risk putting his locker right next to Kobe. If Russell loses his swag he’s really screwed.

 

 

 

 

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 He’s 19 years old so impressive numbers aren’t really a concern.  Constantly improving is though.

I was in the Okafor camp but they went with Russell.  I think he will be fine, but it will definitely take time.  Hopefully Laker (Kobe) fans don’t grill him because even us Laker fans hate the Kobe fans… At least I do.  Hopefully they aren’t riding his shit and give him a few years to develop.

 

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 He’s 19 years old so impressive numbers aren’t really a concern.  Constantly improving is though.

I was in the Okafor camp but they went with Russell.  I think he will be fine, but it will definitely take time.  Hopefully Laker (Kobe) fans don’t grill him because even us Laker fans hate the Kobe fans… At least I do.  Hopefully they aren’t riding his shit and give him a few years to develop.

 

[Ebown5Participant]

For Sixers fans the debate on our board was largely Russell vs Mudiay for the 3rd pick, and probably 3 quarters of the fans wanted Russell.

I think that most everyone was surprised that the Lakers passed up Okafor for him though. I think that that choice will go down in history as a bad one, but that doesn’t mean that Russell won’t be a really good player.

I think that he can be a star, but I definitely don’t see him as a point guard.  I see him as a Bradley Beal type.

[Ebown5Participant]

For Sixers fans the debate on our board was largely Russell vs Mudiay for the 3rd pick, and probably 3 quarters of the fans wanted Russell.

I think that most everyone was surprised that the Lakers passed up Okafor for him though. I think that that choice will go down in history as a bad one, but that doesn’t mean that Russell won’t be a really good player.

I think that he can be a star, but I definitely don’t see him as a point guard.  I see him as a Bradley Beal type.

[IlladelphParticipant]

I still don’t know why the Lakers picked Russell.  He’s not a true PG, and he is not tremendously quick so if he moves to off guard, he will have a tough time getting his shot off against almost any big, fast, NBA guard.  I was certain that the Lakers were going to take Okafor, and he would have been a much better get for them imho.  Guards are a dime a dozen in the NBA, but a skilled big man is rare.  At the very least, they could have traded down for Russell and probably got some more picks.  I just don’t see Russell as being more than a rotation player, or possible starter on a decent team.  Okafor on the other hand would have been a great piece for the Lakers to build around.  

By the way, it’s not that I think Russell is a bad player because I don’t.  He is NBA level talent, but I just don’t see him as being the future starting PG and taking the Lakers back to prominence.  Nothing against the kid, but I think that he is gonna be a disappointment as the #2 overall pick, and he will end up coming off the bench in a year or two.  Because he was picked #2, people will say he busted out, but I think that he will be a solid NBA player for at least 5-7 years.  Superstar no, rotation player yes.

[T Rex]

 Lakers bench is set with Russell, Randle, and Kobe.

 

 

[T Rex]

 Lakers bench is set with Russell, Randle, and Kobe.

 

 

[IlladelphParticipant]

I still don’t know why the Lakers picked Russell.  He’s not a true PG, and he is not tremendously quick so if he moves to off guard, he will have a tough time getting his shot off against almost any big, fast, NBA guard.  I was certain that the Lakers were going to take Okafor, and he would have been a much better get for them imho.  Guards are a dime a dozen in the NBA, but a skilled big man is rare.  At the very least, they could have traded down for Russell and probably got some more picks.  I just don’t see Russell as being more than a rotation player, or possible starter on a decent team.  Okafor on the other hand would have been a great piece for the Lakers to build around.  

By the way, it’s not that I think Russell is a bad player because I don’t.  He is NBA level talent, but I just don’t see him as being the future starting PG and taking the Lakers back to prominence.  Nothing against the kid, but I think that he is gonna be a disappointment as the #2 overall pick, and he will end up coming off the bench in a year or two.  Because he was picked #2, people will say he busted out, but I think that he will be a solid NBA player for at least 5-7 years.  Superstar no, rotation player yes.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

 Russell can be anywhere from Evan Turner to James Harden.  The Lakers have quite the history of developing talent.  I’d assume he’ll be fine with patience and a development plan.  Almost no 19-year-old guard is special right away.

[JR RyderParticipant]

Why does everyone bring up Evan Turner at any Russell discussion? Because they both went to Ohio St.? One is a lights out shooter, while the other has no jumpshot, so why the constant comparison?

[JR RyderParticipant]

Why does everyone bring up Evan Turner at any Russell discussion? Because they both went to Ohio St.? One is a lights out shooter, while the other has no jumpshot, so why the constant comparison?

[T Rex]

 it’s the bust thing. And Evan Turner is way more athletic than Russell, so Russell’s shooting advantage doesn’t negate the validity of the comparison.

 

 

[T Rex]

 it’s the bust thing. And Evan Turner is way more athletic than Russell, so Russell’s shooting advantage doesn’t negate the validity of the comparison.

 

 

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

 Russell can be anywhere from Evan Turner to James Harden.  The Lakers have quite the history of developing talent.  I’d assume he’ll be fine with patience and a development plan.  Almost no 19-year-old guard is special right away.

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 & scouting young players… All of us realize that Basketball players are scouted from 7th grade on & these scoutrs Rarely miss Anyone… Well this time last year, Russell was not even considered in the top 60 for the 2015 Draft… And that would make me a bit nervous. He wasn’t European, he didn;t come out of nowhere, he was at a basketball academy & none of the Kentucky’s or Louisville’s wanted him… The Big Ten is a Very weak Conference so even though Russell looked silky smooth at Ohio St, he was playing against really poor competition….

Russell played at 178 Lbs at Ohio St – he bulked up to 193 lbs before the NBA scouting combine but we have no idea if he can play at that weight. I wanted to see him against better competition & I realize he looked very bad in the NBA Las Vegas summer league & I try not to put much stock in that but what I did put stock in was seeing him against Arizona in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. I realize his team was weak so I did not care if Russell’s team won or that he even put up big #’s – I just wanted to watch him go head to head against a future NBA player & I got my wish b/c AZ locked RHJ on him ALL game… & Hollis-Jefferson absolutely ATE him alive… Russell looked slow, weal & totally outclassed…

 RHJ has an NBA body & NBA quickness – not off the charts physicality & quickness but average & unfortunately Russell looked utterly Dominated by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – like they did not even belong on the same court…

I kept reading that Phila was taking Russell over Mudiay as the guy above mentioned… I know Hinkie is growing Famous for leaking mis-information & schooling other teams by playing draft-day poker so I suspected that Phila was Lying… All year I believe they were drooling over Mudiay to the point that I figured they would give MCW away for Nothing just to get a crack at Mudiay to run the point for those two Monsters Embiid & Noel… Still I was hearing that if they lucked out & got one or two they would take Okafor or Towns no matter what… All the math models showed Phila would get the #4 pick so why would they announce they wanted Russell if they believed they would pick #4 – it seemed like classic misdirection… B/c I agree w/ the guy above that Russell could be a decent to good NBA player but he’ll Never force a double team which is a MUST for any potential NBA star & Both Mudiay & Okafor are going to force double teams from day one…

So when they Lakers took Russell over Okafor – after I picked myself up off the floor from Shock, I imagined the Phila Sixers War room erupting in celebration b/c Okafor is SO rare – mature, incredibly developed post game, freakishly strong, I mean Okafor is literally built like an oak tree at 6’11” & he’s got a Fully developed low pot game w/ Either hand at 18 years old – he’s a once in a decade package… I figured L.A. outsmarted themselves, the same way Doug Collins & the Sixers outsmarted themselves by taking Evan Turner over Boogie Cousins in 2010 (coincidentally Turner & Russell’s scouting reports are Almost identical)…. So I hope it works out for the Lakers b/c I like it when the big name teams like the Lakers & Celtics are relevant & I think Russell seems like a great kid but how can any team pass on Okafor….  Hopefully they will Both be great players in 5 years… Anyway, good luck to everyone! So psyched for the Regular season to begin…

 

 

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

I made a post about this. Turner and Russell are very similar with the lack of athleticism, great passing skills, dominant college skills, and being all dominant yet Russell can also play off the ball and is a much better shooter. He is also younger then Turner was when he entered the league. Turner came into a situation in Philly with lots offers around like Igoudala and Lou Williams. Now Russell enters a similar situation with Kobe, Lou, and Clarkson.

The real comparison comes when you compare Okafor to Cousins. They are almost completely identical in every aspect that is comparable but Okafor has a much better mental approach to the game. Both a legit 6’11, I think Okafor has a 7’4 wingspan and Cuz has a 7’6wingspan, both had good freshman years, Cuz was a much better rebounder, Jahlil has better touch and footwork yet DeMarcus is no slouch in that department. 

I do think Russell will be good yet I think Okafor will be unstoppable if guarded with single coverage.

 

 

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

I made a post about this. Turner and Russell are very similar with the lack of athleticism, great passing skills, dominant college skills, and being all dominant yet Russell can also play off the ball and is a much better shooter. He is also younger then Turner was when he entered the league. Turner came into a situation in Philly with lots offers around like Igoudala and Lou Williams. Now Russell enters a similar situation with Kobe, Lou, and Clarkson.

The real comparison comes when you compare Okafor to Cousins. They are almost completely identical in every aspect that is comparable but Okafor has a much better mental approach to the game. Both a legit 6’11, I think Okafor has a 7’4 wingspan and Cuz has a 7’6wingspan, both had good freshman years, Cuz was a much better rebounder, Jahlil has better touch and footwork yet DeMarcus is no slouch in that department. 

I do think Russell will be good yet I think Okafor will be unstoppable if guarded with single coverage.

 

 

 

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 & scouting young players… All of us realize that Basketball players are scouted from 7th grade on & these scoutrs Rarely miss Anyone… Well this time last year, Russell was not even considered in the top 60 for the 2015 Draft… And that would make me a bit nervous. He wasn’t European, he didn;t come out of nowhere, he was at a basketball academy & none of the Kentucky’s or Louisville’s wanted him… The Big Ten is a Very weak Conference so even though Russell looked silky smooth at Ohio St, he was playing against really poor competition….

Russell played at 178 Lbs at Ohio St – he bulked up to 193 lbs before the NBA scouting combine but we have no idea if he can play at that weight. I wanted to see him against better competition & I realize he looked very bad in the NBA Las Vegas summer league & I try not to put much stock in that but what I did put stock in was seeing him against Arizona in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. I realize his team was weak so I did not care if Russell’s team won or that he even put up big #’s – I just wanted to watch him go head to head against a future NBA player & I got my wish b/c AZ locked RHJ on him ALL game… & Hollis-Jefferson absolutely ATE him alive… Russell looked slow, weal & totally outclassed…

 RHJ has an NBA body & NBA quickness – not off the charts physicality & quickness but average & unfortunately Russell looked utterly Dominated by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – like they did not even belong on the same court…

I kept reading that Phila was taking Russell over Mudiay as the guy above mentioned… I know Hinkie is growing Famous for leaking mis-information & schooling other teams by playing draft-day poker so I suspected that Phila was Lying… All year I believe they were drooling over Mudiay to the point that I figured they would give MCW away for Nothing just to get a crack at Mudiay to run the point for those two Monsters Embiid & Noel… Still I was hearing that if they lucked out & got one or two they would take Okafor or Towns no matter what… All the math models showed Phila would get the #4 pick so why would they announce they wanted Russell if they believed they would pick #4 – it seemed like classic misdirection… B/c I agree w/ the guy above that Russell could be a decent to good NBA player but he’ll Never force a double team which is a MUST for any potential NBA star & Both Mudiay & Okafor are going to force double teams from day one…

So when they Lakers took Russell over Okafor – after I picked myself up off the floor from Shock, I imagined the Phila Sixers War room erupting in celebration b/c Okafor is SO rare – mature, incredibly developed post game, freakishly strong, I mean Okafor is literally built like an oak tree at 6’11” & he’s got a Fully developed low pot game w/ Either hand at 18 years old – he’s a once in a decade package… I figured L.A. outsmarted themselves, the same way Doug Collins & the Sixers outsmarted themselves by taking Evan Turner over Boogie Cousins in 2010 (coincidentally Turner & Russell’s scouting reports are Almost identical)…. So I hope it works out for the Lakers b/c I like it when the big name teams like the Lakers & Celtics are relevant & I think Russell seems like a great kid but how can any team pass on Okafor….  Hopefully they will Both be great players in 5 years… Anyway, good luck to everyone! So psyched for the Regular season to begin…

 

 

 

[T Rex]

 Porzingis was the pick at #2. #3 was a tie between Okafor or Myles Turner, but really, it was Myles Turner.

Two years max and this is all obvious.

 

 

 

[T Rex]

 Porzingis was the pick at #2. #3 was a tie between Okafor or Myles Turner, but really, it was Myles Turner.

Two years max and this is all obvious.

 

 

 

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

 Hes 19 years old and hasnt played a game yet. Lets all relax. Hes a prospect, it might take him awhile. I dont think that Okafor and Randle wouldve been a good fit anyways. Lakers maybe should have traded back and picked up a few picks. But i think Russell will be good, a Brandon Roy/Bradley Beal type 2 guard. 

Clarkson, Russell, and Randle are good building blocks. Its just going to take awhile. Especially in the west. 

[Ebown5Participant]

 You are right that Randle and Okafor wouldn’t have been a great pairing, but that isn’t the point. You don’t pass up a potential franchise big man.

Like all of the teams in the top 5 the Lakers needed talent, and how they fit together today is pretty unimportant.

Okafors are harder to find than Russells.

 

 

[Ebown5Participant]

 You are right that Randle and Okafor wouldn’t have been a great pairing, but that isn’t the point. You don’t pass up a potential franchise big man.

Like all of the teams in the top 5 the Lakers needed talent, and how they fit together today is pretty unimportant.

Okafors are harder to find than Russells.

 

 

[T Rex]

 Correct. You don’t let a 6’8" one dimensional, ball hog PF affect your draft decisions.

Randle is the perfect spark plug scorer off the bench anyways.

 

 

[T Rex]

 Correct. You don’t let a 6’8" one dimensional, ball hog PF affect your draft decisions.

Randle is the perfect spark plug scorer off the bench anyways.

 

 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 Watching tonight, they were way better on defense than I expected. They ran out of energy because Scott ran them to death this week, but the 1st team stopped the ball quite a bit. Yes, Hibbert helped, but Randle did way better than people would think. He did great on help defense. Kobe is a terrible leak in the defense, as expected.

Offense: bad. Kobe was being real cool though. He pretended to be a total team player. Other than that, everyone holds the ball too long. Even Hibbert. I still think Randle is used all wrong. They keep wanting him to help run the offense from the top of the key. Except he can’t consistently hit that shot, which almost always opts for instead of driving (like they want). He’s a post up player, pure and simple. 

Russell looks like an elite passer immediately. He’ll throw the ball away sometimes, but he’ll figure it out. A lot of turnovers are because teammates aren’t paying attention. It looks like he can hit it when he’s open, but he’s going to have trouble creating space. He’s going to need to make some adjustments. 

The real future star, to me, was Jordan Clarkson, who looked like the best player on the floor when he had the ball on his hands. Lou Williams looked great and Hibbert grabbed boards. They all, also looked surprisingly good for the 1st 7 minutes. It looked like they’d been working together but fell apart after everyone’s shot missed. I don’t know how or bad they’ll be, but they’re way more talented than last year. 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 Watching tonight, they were way better on defense than I expected. They ran out of energy because Scott ran them to death this week, but the 1st team stopped the ball quite a bit. Yes, Hibbert helped, but Randle did way better than people would think. He did great on help defense. Kobe is a terrible leak in the defense, as expected.

Offense: bad. Kobe was being real cool though. He pretended to be a total team player. Other than that, everyone holds the ball too long. Even Hibbert. I still think Randle is used all wrong. They keep wanting him to help run the offense from the top of the key. Except he can’t consistently hit that shot, which almost always opts for instead of driving (like they want). He’s a post up player, pure and simple. 

Russell looks like an elite passer immediately. He’ll throw the ball away sometimes, but he’ll figure it out. A lot of turnovers are because teammates aren’t paying attention. It looks like he can hit it when he’s open, but he’s going to have trouble creating space. He’s going to need to make some adjustments. 

The real future star, to me, was Jordan Clarkson, who looked like the best player on the floor when he had the ball on his hands. Lou Williams looked great and Hibbert grabbed boards. They all, also looked surprisingly good for the 1st 7 minutes. It looked like they’d been working together but fell apart after everyone’s shot missed. I don’t know how or bad they’ll be, but they’re way more talented than last year. 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 Randle has no confidence in his shot right now. Teams are going to back way off him until he proves he can make that mid-range shot consistently and it will seriously cramp their spacing. They may be better off going with Brandon Bass as the starting pf, at least out of the gate.

I hope Scott isn’t planning on using Lou Williams as the back up pg. He is not a pg and thinks score first when he’s in the game. I’d rather see him stagger the pg mins with Russell and Clarkson and have Williams play mostly at the 2 off the bench. 

 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 Randle has no confidence in his shot right now. Teams are going to back way off him until he proves he can make that mid-range shot consistently and it will seriously cramp their spacing. They may be better off going with Brandon Bass as the starting pf, at least out of the gate.

I hope Scott isn’t planning on using Lou Williams as the back up pg. He is not a pg and thinks score first when he’s in the game. I’d rather see him stagger the pg mins with Russell and Clarkson and have Williams play mostly at the 2 off the bench. 

 

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

 Hes 19 years old and hasnt played a game yet. Lets all relax. Hes a prospect, it might take him awhile. I dont think that Okafor and Randle wouldve been a good fit anyways. Lakers maybe should have traded back and picked up a few picks. But i think Russell will be good, a Brandon Roy/Bradley Beal type 2 guard. 

Clarkson, Russell, and Randle are good building blocks. Its just going to take awhile. Especially in the west. 

[saladdaysParticipant]

I understand the concerns over his athletic ability, but he’s a 19 year old kid with the smarts and instincts of a savvy veteran pg. While he didn’t have the best SL showing, his shooting will come around soon enough and I was impressed by his unparalleled court vision, at least among the rookie class. Today’s preseason game against Utah only reinforced my belief in him. Whether he’s cutting off the ball to lay up a feed from Hibbert or throwing Randle a slick no-look pass on the fastbreak, the kid obviously knows what he’s doing out there and I think the most important thing is that he looks to get the most from his teammates. He simply understands the game on a higher level than a lot of NBA players.

I think drafts in the recent years have been filled with guys picked based on their potential and raw ability. While Russell’s not a complete slouch in the athletic department (above-average/elite length), he’s obviously not the physical specimen some of these other rookies are. What he lacks in "upside", he makes up for (at least in my mind) with intelligence, unselfishness and a desire to make his teammates better. I think, in the grand scheme of things, the Lakers definitely made a smart choice. LA has its fair share of dynamic, athletic scorers (Randle, Clarkson), and I believe that Russell is a great fit to grow with these young guys. Maybe Russell can’t single-handedly carry the Lakers to a championship, but I think if he can continue to learn and create chemistry with guys like Clarkson and Randle, they can develop into quite the fearsome trio…Sure Okafor will probably have better numbers than D’Angelo this year, but he’s in no position to win anytime soon and he’s not the type of guy who’ll get the most out of his teammates. He’s more a player you can expect a certain amount of points and rebounds from, but not much else besides that. I also think it’s hypocritical that those who knock Russell’s upside are so high on Okafor, who has slow feet, no range, and plays below-average defense. There’s no question that Jahlil’s going to be an offensive force in the league, but I can’t see how you can call him a franchise talent and not recognize Russell’s value.

[saladdaysParticipant]

I understand the concerns over his athletic ability, but he’s a 19 year old kid with the smarts and instincts of a savvy veteran pg. While he didn’t have the best SL showing, his shooting will come around soon enough and I was impressed by his unparalleled court vision, at least among the rookie class. Today’s preseason game against Utah only reinforced my belief in him. Whether he’s cutting off the ball to lay up a feed from Hibbert or throwing Randle a slick no-look pass on the fastbreak, the kid obviously knows what he’s doing out there and I think the most important thing is that he looks to get the most from his teammates. He simply understands the game on a higher level than a lot of NBA players.

I think drafts in the recent years have been filled with guys picked based on their potential and raw ability. While Russell’s not a complete slouch in the athletic department (above-average/elite length), he’s obviously not the physical specimen some of these other rookies are. What he lacks in "upside", he makes up for (at least in my mind) with intelligence, unselfishness and a desire to make his teammates better. I think, in the grand scheme of things, the Lakers definitely made a smart choice. LA has its fair share of dynamic, athletic scorers (Randle, Clarkson), and I believe that Russell is a great fit to grow with these young guys. Maybe Russell can’t single-handedly carry the Lakers to a championship, but I think if he can continue to learn and create chemistry with guys like Clarkson and Randle, they can develop into quite the fearsome trio…Sure Okafor will probably have better numbers than D’Angelo this year, but he’s in no position to win anytime soon and he’s not the type of guy who’ll get the most out of his teammates. He’s more a player you can expect a certain amount of points and rebounds from, but not much else besides that. I also think it’s hypocritical that those who knock Russell’s upside are so high on Okafor, who has slow feet, no range, and plays below-average defense. There’s no question that Jahlil’s going to be an offensive force in the league, but I can’t see how you can call him a franchise talent and not recognize Russell’s value.

[rich.homie.mitchParticipant]

 Why does everyone compare him to Brandon Roy? Brandon Roy was very athletic and clutch. I think Brandon Roy is a terrible comparison for him. 

[rich.homie.mitchParticipant]

 Why does everyone compare him to Brandon Roy? Brandon Roy was very athletic and clutch. I think Brandon Roy is a terrible comparison for him. 

[220Participant]

 It probably depends on when they saw Brandon Roy. By the end of his career he wasn’t looking very athletic.

[220Participant]

 It probably depends on when they saw Brandon Roy. By the end of his career he wasn’t looking very athletic.

[rich.homie.mitchParticipant]

That’s different but when I compare a prospect to another NBA player or ex-player , I tend to think of their prime years, not the years when their knee’s were tore to shreds.

[220Participant]

 Oh I agree with you, but I imagine a lot of people on the site never saw Brandon Roy in his prime years.

[220Participant]

 Oh I agree with you, but I imagine a lot of people on the site never saw Brandon Roy in his prime years.

[rich.homie.mitchParticipant]

That’s different but when I compare a prospect to another NBA player or ex-player , I tend to think of their prime years, not the years when their knee’s were tore to shreds.

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

He should be fine eventually, no doubt about it, but the Lakers will kick themselves in a few years if Jahlil Okafor becomes the next great Center next to an emerging PF in Nerlens Noel, man I so shocked that the Lakers passed up on Oak, when it’s said and done I think the 76ers landed the best prospect in the Draft IMO

 

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

He should be fine eventually, no doubt about it, but the Lakers will kick themselves in a few years if Jahlil Okafor becomes the next great Center next to an emerging PF in Nerlens Noel, man I so shocked that the Lakers passed up on Oak, when it’s said and done I think the 76ers landed the best prospect in the Draft IMO

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Okafor and Stanley Johnson got slept on. Jahlil looks amazing I have no clue where people started doubting his skills. He has some of the best natural feel for the game and touch that I’ve seen from any player. He should be great.

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Okafor and Stanley Johnson got slept on. Jahlil looks amazing I have no clue where people started doubting his skills. He has some of the best natural feel for the game and touch that I’ve seen from any player. He should be great.

[moochieeParticipant]

 I feel like Russell’s ascent up the draft boards was partially due to Steph Curry’s play. Seemed like scouts saw Russell’s ability to shoot off the dribble and elite court vision and ignored a lot of weaknesses in his game in hopes that he would put it all together like Steph. Honestly Steph Curry breaks the mold of what the modern prototypical point guard mostly is..Can’t write Russell off yet of course, but Mudiay would have been a much safer pick.

[moochieeParticipant]

 I feel like Russell’s ascent up the draft boards was partially due to Steph Curry’s play. Seemed like scouts saw Russell’s ability to shoot off the dribble and elite court vision and ignored a lot of weaknesses in his game in hopes that he would put it all together like Steph. Honestly Steph Curry breaks the mold of what the modern prototypical point guard mostly is..Can’t write Russell off yet of course, but Mudiay would have been a much safer pick.

[Author]

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