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So much for being locked in on Jahlil Okafor.
The Los Angeles Lakers tossed a bit of a curveball Thursday night, bypassing their long-rumored preferred choice in Okafor and selecting Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
D'Angelo Russell to the Lakers at No. 2 pic.twitter.com/LXMMc112Pm
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 25, 2015
The choice threw the top of the lottery into some chaos, as teams with follow-up picks - the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks - had seemingly been making preparations based on the presumption that the Lakers would go with Okafor.
The Lakers, however, are reportedly confident in their ability to reel in free-agent power forward LaMarcus Aldridge - who has apparently already told the Portland Trail Blazers he won't be re-signing there - negating the necessity to draft a big man.
Meanwhile, they appear to have landed their point guard of the future. Jordan Clarkson is nice, but Russell has the chance to be something special.
Kupchak on Russell: "We felt he was a player we couldn't pass on."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 25, 2015
"Voodoo."
That's what we took to calling Russell during the college season, not just because that's the title of D'Angelo's best album, but because most of Russell's passes seemed to be magic. An incredibly creative distributor with excellent floor vision, Russell should make fast friends in Kobe Bryant and his Lakers teammates.
He should also slot in nicely as the Lakers' point guard of the present. While he wasn't considered an elite prospect entering college, Russell turned in a terrific freshman season that made believers out of most. He averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and five assists while knocking down 41.1 percent of threes, leading an otherwise woeful Buckeyes team to the NCAA tournament.
That shooting mark may be the most exciting thing about Russell. While he's not an elite athlete, he needs to bulk up to maintain a finishing ability at the rim, and isn't yet much of a defender, his floor is appreciable because of his significant offensive talent. With the size - he's 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-9.75 wingspan - to potentially play the two and one of the best jumpers in the draft, it's tough to see Russell failing to be at least an average player.
"I’m just a kid from Louisville with a good heart and a big dream." Russell said after being taken second overall.
"I'm still in shock...but dreams come true. I'm here and I'm ready to make an impact right away."
