2015 Nba Draft Discussion: Russell, Nance Jr., Brown

A look at 5 of our options

 

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/video-breaking-down-mudiay-and-other-prospects/

Video interview with Steve Kyler. Speaks about Mudiay and then a couple of guys he's been watching at IMG.

Love hearing how much of a gym rat Mudiay's been since training in LA.

 

Combine attendees announced

http://nba.derekbodner.com/2015/05/07/2015-nba-combine-list-announced/

 

That's like my hand palming a kiddie bball. HUGE

 

Nothing really stood out for me here. He has excellent vision, but didn't we see some of that with Kendall Marshall? I mean, what REALLY stands out about D'Angelo here?

 

What lakerfan2 said.

 

Russell, like ALL the other prospects has to be watched in totality throughout the season. Obviously, we all have our preferences and some will gravitate toward Russell, Winslow, Towns, Mudiay, etc; I've seen Russell the entire season (I have the Big-10 network), so I'm really familiar with his strengths and weaknesses. The video showed a couple of nice plays, but for the most part, it's the simple plays that he makes, the pace that he plays at, the ability to know when to attack recognize the mismatch or pass the ball right in the shooters pocket; all the little details that go into his game that truly make him a unique prospect.

On the other hand, while I do like his length, his lack of explosiveness will be a problem finishing at the rim, getting blitzed on pick in roll, and potentially trying to defend faster more athletic PG's and SG's in the league. Very slight frame, needs to get physically stronger, and attention to detail on defense needs to get better. I think he'll be a better off the ball defender than he is on ball. Still, I am truly excited about him.

 

Actually, more like a lack of burst will be a problem when he's blitzed on pick in roll. He's not as quick as some of the other top-notch PG prospects that got drafted in the past...

 

I did catch Russell through the season and through the tourney.

The thing he's got going for him is his excellent vision, control, jump shot, and leadership. He's more of a PG than a SG and doesn't seem to have that ability to create for himself say like a Nash or CP3 can around the rim or off the dribble. He needs that to be an effective distributor if that's going to be his calling, or else, people are going to be reading him to pass every single time.

 

If he has a jump shot, that's the first ingredient. That will mean that his jump shot will open driving lanes for him, allow him to play off the ball, and/or be a spot up shooter and will effectively balance his game. The two things that will translate for Russell are his passing and shooting ability. Not to mention his skill level and IQ level are off the charts...

 

That's fair. We have to be very careful with this process on whom we select; coming off back-to-back 20 wins seasons, and I feel we need to get our pick on May 19th and hit a home run. Honestly, while I do like Russell, I like other players in this draft. If we get one of these players: Okafor, Towns, Russell, Winslow, WCS, Henzonja I'm going to be very happy.

 

Not that I saw Curry coming, but going back and watching his college stuff, and that Davidson run he had, you could get a feeling he had that "swagger" about his game you just don't overlook. He was hitting similar shots he's hitting now. Sometimes, you just know about players.

Often when you have debate about a players potential, and IF they'd be able to reach it, it's a tough call. Sure, there are the few that sneak by or just dud out, but for the most part, I think you can tell when a player will be special or not.

 

I'll take a Russell ROY bet. Winning ROY is too lofty. How about finishing top 3 voting for ROY?