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12:06 AM
Photo courtesy of Elsa/Getty
D'ANGELO RUSSELL WAS SELECTED AS THE SECOND OVERALL PICK BY THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS DURING THE 2015 NBA DRAFT WHICH HAPPENED LAST JUNE 26.
D’ANGELO RUSSELL WAS AN OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT FOR THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES IN HIS ONLY SEASON IN THE COLLEGE RANKS. HE IN FACT LED ALL FRESHMAN IN THE NATION IN SCORING. RUSSELL RANKED TOP 10 IN ALL MAJOR OFFENSIVE CATEGORIES IN THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE. RANKING SECOND IN THE BIG TEN’S SCORING AVERAGING 19.3 POINTS PER GAME, 5 ASSISTS PER GAME (THIRD), FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE OF 44.9% (EIGHTH) AND 3-POINT PERCENTAGE OF 41.1% (SECOND), WHILE ALSO GRABBING 5.7 BOARDS PER GAME.
COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, RUSSELL WASN’T HIGHLY THOUGHT OF AS A ONE-AND-DONE GUY IN COLLEGE. HE WAS A TOP 25 RECRUIT IN THE COUNTRY, BUT NOBODY REALLY EXPECTED THE KIND OF FRESHMAN YEAR HE HAD WITH THE BUCKEYES.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN HIS ONE-AND-DONE COLLEGE CAREER:
- BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
- FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
- FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
RUSSELL PROVE HIS WORTH AS ONE OF THE TOP COLLEGE PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY ALL THROUGH OUT THE YEAR SHOWING GREAT POISE AND MATURITY FOR A FRESHMAN, BUT HE SHINED EVEN BRIGHTER DURING HIS FIRST THREE NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES AVERAGING 23.3 POINTS, 5.7 REBOUNDS AND 2.0 BLOCKS.
RUSSELL IS A POINT GUARD WITH TREMENDOUS BALL SKILLS THAT CAN BE COMPARED TO CURRENT NBA MVP STEPH CURRY WHICH HE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW HE MODELED HIS GAME FROM. SHOWS GOOD FORM ON HIS SHOT AND A QUICK RELEASE. SMART AND SILKY SMOOTH GUARD WHO NEVER SEEMS TO GET RATTLED IN TIGHT SITUATIONS DURING CLOSE GAMES. CREATIVE AND AT THE SAME TIME EXCELLENT DECISION MAKER WITH THE BALL IN HIS HANDS. RUSSEL CAN PASS THE ROCK REALLY WELL WITH THE BEST OF THEM AND APPEARS TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO DEVELOP INTO A BIG TIME POINT GUARD IN THE NBA. DEFENSIVELY HE IS LENGTHY. EQUIPPED WITH 6-FOOT-9 WINGSPAN THAT GIVES HIM THE ABILITY TO DISRUPT PASSING LANES AND SHOTS. STANDING REACH OF 8-FOOT-6 THAT CAN GIVE HIM EXTRA LENGTH TO GET TO LOOSE BALLS AND GET SHOTS OFF.
RUSSEL WILL BE A GREAT HELP FOR THE LAKERS NEXT SEASON AS THE THE ORGANIZATION HAD A LOSING RECORD ALL YEAR. LAKERS STRUGGLED OFFENSIVELY AT TIMES MOSTLY BECAUSE OF INJURIES ESPECIALLY WITH KOBE MISSING A LOT GAMES AND ALSO LACK OF CONSISTENCY IN SCORING WITH THE OTHER GUYS.
BONUS INFO ABOUT D'ANGELO RUSSEL:
DRAFT COMBINE MEASUREMENTS
BODY FAT PERCENTAGE: 8.3
HAND LENGTH (INCHES): 8.75
HAND WIDTH (INCHES): 9.75
HEIGHT (WITHOUT SHOES): 6'3.25
HEIGHT (WITH SHOES): 6'5
STANDING REACH: 8'6
WEIGHT: 193.4
WINGSPAN: 6'9.75
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