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

From what I've seen from Russel, he doesn't having that imposing physical game that I see from Stanley Johnson.

Yeah, Russel is extremely talented offensively as a PG, but he reminds me of a short Kevin Martin than a Stephen Curry. I don't get that swagger vibe from him as I do with Johnson. Guys like Durant and Curry had that while in college

 

There should be a lot of hype around Russell; he has a lot of translatable things he is going to being to the NBA Level.

 

Johnson will go top 5. I would not pick him over Russell, though. Agree to disagree.

 

Yeah. I I like Johnson a lot and wouldn't cry any tears if we end up with him.

BUT, I think Russell is being undervalued heavily here. There is a reason he is rocketing up so many draft boards. The kid can ball. He is 6'4." He can score, rebound, and pass.

Man oh man can he pass.

He is a freshman leading a group of upper classmen.

At this point, he has topped Okafor and is averaging the most points for game among freshmen in the country.

He has a .477 fg percentage and .444 3pt shooting percentage.

I haven't seen Johnson come close to dominating a game the way Russell has the last week or so.

Still a long way to go in this season, but I completely understand why Russell is getting so much love right now.

 

I like guys who clearly have nba size and athleticism for the position to which their skills suit them. it's actually less common than one might think in the draft. Johnson is an nba sf, and I think he's one of the safest (if not the safest outside of okafor) picks in the draft.

I haven't seen enough of Russell yet to be able to confidently state the same about him, but it sounds possible based on other comments.

 

I couldn't respond the way I want it; I was on my phone, watching the game tonight, etc; by the way, I think we should all be ecstatic we're going to potentially have a top 5 pick to begin with adding another potential young stud to our core that we're developing in Tarik, Kelly, Clarkson, Randle, Davis (whom I hope we keep). Also, our scouting department has been really solid...I have no doubt that after all the workouts are in and wherever and whomever we land, they'll (Lakers) \make the right choice.

Now, onto Russell. He has the highest IQ I've seen in a College Basketball player since Anthony Davis; the highest I've seen in a guard since Steph Curry. As Elgin pointed out, he could pass, but not only pass, but pass wit the perfect technique either with a perfect bounce pass in TRANSITION or right into the shooters pocket; he sees those passes 2 or 3 frames ahead as has well; he frequently studies breakdowns of games with other players constantly looking for ways too improve the teams performance...a student of the game. Very, very, good sign.

By the way, Elgin pointed out his shooting which is not an aberration; all of his misses are 'quiet;' meaning they don't bang hard off the rim and are normally straight but just a little long/short. A sign of a good shooter.

By the way, OSU plays man and switches all off ball screens which is true of most NBA teams as well, and he navigated through them very well. He's efficient with dribble and does a great job of using a change of speed to get to the basket.

He's not without his flaws, though. He can get lazy defensively, plays too high up in his stance, and he's the victim of constant back door cuts. He doesn't have elite athleticism; above average, though. He's better suited to play off ball defense; his on the ball defense is not bad, but it could be better.

And this is not too say that Johnson won't make a great pro, I just think Russell is better. Just a matter of opinion.

 

When you list them out like that we drafted some pretty good players. Sucks we didn't hold on to the better players but still, the scouting team have done their jobs.

 

Well, we did what we needed to get 2009 and 2010. People complain that we "threw away draft picks", but it wasn't like we were in a position to draft high anyway. (Again with the CP3 Veto Reference) If Stern hadn't done so, we would've been fine. We kept the draft pick the year we actually landed in the lottery and probably got a Top 3 talent out of it, despite Randle's injury. Embiid, Wiggins, Gordon, Exum, Smart don't seem much ahead in talent in my opinion.

If one thing that could have changed, would be the protection on this 2015 pick. 1-7 AT LEAST. 1-10 would have been ideal.

We're making good choices with our picks, sure some teams make off with the draft (somehow San Antonio always does), but for the most part, the draft lottery is as much a lottery as getting the pick, as the player you get with the pick. It's not always a sure shot.

 

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/DAngelo-Russell-vs-Indiana-Video-Analysis-4807

Having trouble embedding the video...but analysis on Russells game vs Indiana

 

If we draft Johnson, Okafur, or Towns, targeting a FA Pg is a no brainer. But, suppose we draft either Mudiay or Russsell. What does that mean for our interest in Dragic or Rondo? Has Clarkson earned himself backup PG duty next season, or does he split time between 3rd string PG and backup SG?

In other words, do we gave a PG rotation of:

Dragic or Rondo/Mudiay or Russell/Clarkson
or
Mudiay or Russell/Clarkson/VETmin FA or second rounder or Houston pick

If we are happy with Mudiay/Russell + Clarkson in lieu of Dragic or Rondo, where do we spend that $15-20mil? Gasol and Aldridge aren't going anywhere. Do we go after Monroe even if we still keep Davis and Black and Kelly? Maybe we are able to land a really nice wing like Butler (pipe) or maybe spend less for a Matthews?