2015 NBA Draft Scouting Report: D’Angelo Russell
D’Angelo Russell (PG/SG), Ohio State Buckeyes
2014-15 statistics: 19.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.0 APG on 49.9% FG, 41.1% 3PT, 75.6% FT
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Background
D’Angelo Russell entered Ohio State as a relatively unknown prospect. While the 6-5 guard was a five-star recruit coming out of Montverde Academy, he ranked just No. 16 in the nation behind the likes of Stanley Johnson, Tyus Jones, Kevon Looney and Trey Lyles.
Fast forward through his freshman season, however, and Russell’s name is being mentioned with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor as the possible No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Russell wasted little time cementing himself as an elite prospect at Ohio State. He scored 32 points in 25 minutes in just his third game of the season. He was in full stride by the time Big Ten play came along, dazzling the nation with nifty passes and silky smooth 3-pointers on a nightly basis. While his season ended on a dismal showing against Arizona, he propelled an under-whelming Ohio State squad past VCU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament with 28 points.
Shooting
Russell doesn’t get much lift on his jump shot, but his long arms and 6-5 frame allow him to rise up over defenders even in the toughest of situations. It helps that he has a smooth form with a lightning quick release.
All those factors translated into a fantastic shooting season for the freshman. Russell attempted 6.6 3-pointers per game and made them at a 41.1 percent clip. To make that all the more impressive, only 50 percent of those makes were assisted, which is a testament to his versatility.
Russell works best with the ball in his hands thanks to his ability to create his own shot at will. He’s not afraid to pull-up from 3-point range in transition, rise for midrange jumpers off the bounce, attack his defender in the pick-and-roll, or use his size to his advantage by posting up smaller defenders. All in all, he shot 45 percent off the dribble during his freshman campaign, according to Synergy Sports.
However, Russell is also capable of playing off the ball. He’s just as comfortable curling around screens and spotting-up whenever necessary, giving teams the option of sliding him to the two if paired with another ball-dominant guard. Running off of screens accounted for 8.9 percent of his offense at Ohio State, and he converted them at a high rate of 0.95 points per possession.
When Russell is firing on all cylinders, he’s damn near impossible to stop. Just ask Minnesota.
Russell struggled against high quality competition during his time at Ohio State, as you can see in the graphic below by Layne Vashro. Because much of the offense revolved around his ability to create for himself and others, deeper teams were able to load up on him and make his life difficult. As a result, he tended to take himself out of plays, putting even more pressure on his teammates to pick up the slack.
Chart created by Layne Vashro (
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In a road game against Michigan on Feb. 22, for example, Russell finished with a pedestrian 15 points and five turnovers on 6-for-16 shooting. The Wolverines face-guarded Russell for the majority of the second half, which led to awkward situations where he’d stand at half court and leave his teammates to play 4-on-4.
For many of the same reasons, Russell had a tendency to settle for tough shots when the flow of the game wasn’t going his way. The combination of him seeing little daylight against quality opponents and Ohio State relying so heavily on Russell to produce on a nightly basis led to him forcing ill-advised 3-pointers and heavily contested jump shots.
That shouldn’t be as much of a problem in the NBA, where he’ll have far more competent teammates to relieve some of the pressure off of him.
Driving
What makes Russell such a dangerous scoring option isn’t only his shooting prowess, it’s also his ability to attack the basket and put pressure on the defense. Whether teams see him at a point guard or shooting guard at the next level remains to be seen, but he’s far more effective with the ball in his hands.
Russell is always looking to catch the opposition off guard in transition — it accounted for nearly 26.6 percent of his offense at Ohio State, according to Draft Express. He’s capable of grabbing a defensive rebound, putting on the jets and finding seams for an easy scoring opportunity. He attacks the basket on balance, and uses his two steps effectively to cover ground and weave his way around defenders. When he gets to the rim, he uses his 6-9 wingspan effectively to lay the ball in.
Much like his jump shot, Russell has a soft touch around the basket. It’s not rare to see him finish circus shots or capitalize on and-one opportunities. He has also shown the ability to knock down floaters (not consistently, albeit), which will be a key asset for him at the next level.
While Russell shot 62.2 percent at the rim as a Buckeye, there is room for improvement.
The biggest concern is his lack of explosiveness. Russell is a smooth athlete who relies heavily on his shiftiness and wingspan to finish over defenders, which became a problem when competing against length and athleticism (see: Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.) He has the perfect frame for a point guard or shooting guard in the NBA, but strength will likely be an issue in the early going.
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Russell doesn’t have the quickest of first steps, either. When he wasn’t given the space to work his magic, he struggled to blow by his assignment. He’s also left-hand dominant. Russell scored the ball at 0.82 points per possession with his strong hand, but that number fell to 0.71 when he drove with his opposite, according to Draft Express. Teams will certainly look to expose that further in the NBA.
Passing
Russell’s scoring ability is his biggest strength at this stage of his career, but he’s also an incredibly gifted passer. His assist rate (30.1 percent) ranked 84th in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten — remarkable feats considering he played alongside another usage-heavy guard in Shannon Scott. He quickly became an internet favorite thanks to his fancy spin passes that defied the laws of physics.
Russell’s always keeping his head up, surveying the scene and looking for gaps to zip a pass to a teammate, which makes for a terrifying cover given his height. He makes pin-point bounce passes to teammates in stride to the basket look routine, and does a great job of luring the help defense away on pick-and-rolls to set his big up for uncontested looks. He has an uncanny ability to make no-look passes on the money, too.
“[Russell’s] got some things that are tough to teach. The ability to move the ball quickly, and with speed on the pass. To see over the defenses and being able to see the play ahead of the play. That’s stuff you can’t really teach.” — Anonymous scout to NBA’s David Aldridge
Because Russell isn’t afraid to thread the needle, he has a tendency to commit careless turnovers. He averaged 2.9 turnovers per contest and coughed the ball over four or more times in 14 games. Teams at next level may have a hard time striking a balance between letting him be creative while keeping him under control.
Defense
Ohio State matched up with teams in a 2-3 zone for the majority of Russell’s freshman season, making it hard to truly evaluate his defensive ability.
Even so, Russell proved capable of wreaking havoc in the passing lane by using his long, lanky arms to poke away loose balls and pick off errant passes. When locked in, Russell moves his feet well in one-on-one situations and uses his length to effectively contest shots.
However, because Russell was expected to carry the bulk of the scoring load for the Buckeyes, he conserved his energy for one side of the floor. That led to moments where he’d let his assignment barrel into the lane for an uncontested offensive rebound, stick to his player like glue instead of helping out a teammate, or get out of the picture entirely rather than contesting a shot.
While Russell has the tools to be an above-average stopper at the next level, he got away with playing lacklustre defense at times under Thad Matta’s watch. The NBA won’t be so forgiving.